Little Rock, ARVoter Guide 2026 · not a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Little Rock Mayor & Board of Directors Election 2026

5 of 10

council seats up

6 contests

16 candidates

Updated Oct 2, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check →

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

Every Little Rock voter picks a mayor; voters in Wards 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7 also pick their ward's city director. The mayor votes only to break a tie, so five of the board's 10 votes are on this ballot.

4 notes on these statements

Ward 2 is open: Director Ken Richardson did not file for re-election and has not attended a board meeting since May 2024. KATV

Ward 7 is open because B.J. Wyrick is running for mayor instead of re-election as Ward 7 director. Arkansas Times · Aug 10, 2026

Lance Hines was unopposed in Ward 5, so the Ward 5 election was canceled and he was elected. Ballotpedia

Michael Hernandez filed as Andrew Michael Hernandez; Tony Miller filed as Tony Stanley Miller; Victoria Macuil filed as Victoria Michelle Macuil. Pulaski County Clerk

Already on the council, not on the ballot

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Next date

Voter registration deadline

Mon, Oct 5, 2026

What the next council decides

Data centers and the Google project

Where it standsThe board passed data center regulations unanimously in June 2026, but an 18-month moratorium failed on a 4-4 vote in August.

What's on the tableThe board decides whether to add further rules or a pause on hyperscale data centers as Google's project moves toward permits.

  • Google's proposed 100-megawatt, $1 billion data center would sit on 380 acres in the Port of Little Rock area. Arkansas Times · Aug 4, 2026
  • In June 2026 the board voted unanimously to regulate data centers, including noise, landscaping and utility requirements, and banned using ground water or drinking water for cooling. Little Rock Public Radio · Jun 3, 2026
  • The August 2026 moratorium vote was 4-4 with two directors absent; it needed six votes to pass. KARK
  • Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said Act 851 of 2023 prevents cities from banning data centers outright. KARK

Crime and police staffing

Where it standsThe city reports homicides down 37% over five years; B.J. Wyrick disputes the figures and says the police department is short of officers.

What's on the tableThe board sets police pay and staffing through the budget and approves policing technology and contracts.

  • Little Rock recorded 44 homicides in 2025, according to the police department. KATV
  • The city's 2026 budget includes a 5 percent pay raise and sign-on bonuses for police and nearly $1 million for LRPD's real-time crime center. KATV
  • The city said homicides were down 37% and overall crime down 28% over five years as of Dec. 31, 2025. KATV

Police surveillance technology

Where it standsIn December 2025 the board rejected an ordinance that would have required yearly public reporting on police surveillance technology.

What's on the tableThe board approves surveillance contracts and decides whether to set reporting rules by ordinance.

The city manager and the mayor's power

Where it standsDelphone Hubbard became city manager in June 2025 after a vacancy of about 20 months, and the mayor has questioned whether the job is needed.

What's on the tableThe mayor nominates and the board confirms a city manager; the board could also put a change in government form on the ballot.

Streets, drainage and city money

Where it standsVoters rejected two city sales-tax proposals in November 2024 that would have funded parks, streets and public safety.

What's on the tableThe board adopts the yearly budget, which sets spending on streets, drainage, parks and police.

  • The 5/8-cent capital sales tax failed 59.6% to 40.4%, and the 3/8-cent operations tax failed 63.2% to 36.8%. Talk Business & Politics
  • The two proposals would have raised about $650 million over a decade, including $137 million for infrastructure such as streets and bridges. Talk Business & Politics

Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

  1. 1. Should Little Rock pause new hyperscale data centers, including Google's planned project?

  2. 2. What should come first in the city's plan to reduce violent crime?

  3. 3. Should a city ordinance require the police to publish a yearly report on their surveillance technology?

  4. 4. How should Little Rock choose and use its city manager?

  5. 5. How much of the city budget should go to streets, drainage and potholes?

Seat the Council →

Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.

Key dates

The seat math

5 stay (not up this year): Joan Adcock, Lance Hines, Dean Kumpuris, Capi Peck, Antwan Phillips5 on this ballot

10 council seats plus a mayor who doesn't vote on council items. The council decides by a 6-vote majority.

  • The Little Rock Board of Directors is made up of seven positions representing different geographic wards and three at-large positions elected by the entire city. Arkansas Times · Aug 10, 2026
  • The mayor may cast a vote on the board only to break a 5-5 tie. Arkansas Times · Dec 17, 2024
  • Overriding a mayoral veto requires eight votes of the 10-member board. Arkansas Times · Jun 17, 2025
  • A mayoral candidate needs 40 percent of the vote to win outright; city board seats go to whoever gets the most votes, with no minimum. Arkansas Times · Nov 2, 2018
  • Candidates run without party affiliation, and those elected take office on January 1, 2027. City of Little Rock
  • Little Rock has a hybrid government with a mayor, a Board of Directors and a city manager who directs day-to-day operations of city departments. KATV

Every claim here links to its source and was checked against it before publishing. How this guide works →

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