October 31, 2025

A Pulaski County judge ruled that Sarah Huckabee Sanders must set the special election for Arkansas House District 70 to March 3, 2026, rejecting the governor’s June 9, 2026 date as contrary to state law. The court found that while the governor has discretion to declare special elections impracticable or burdensome within 150 days of a vacancy, once that period passes, the election must be held on the “earliest practicable” date, not just the most convenient for the state.