Arkansas

Republicans control the governor’s office, the Senate, and the House. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders is running for a second term. Arkansas was the first state to try Medicaid work requirements and the first to ban gender-affirming care for minors. Both experiments produced measurable harm.

The state is scaling vouchers faster than it budgeted for and cutting income taxes while public services shrink. Work requirements return in 2027.

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School vouchers

Arkansas created Education Freedom Accounts through the LEARNS Act (SB 294), passed in 2023 with a House vote of 78-21. The program opened to all students for 2025-26. Demand outran the budget immediately.

A legislative panel approved an extra $90 million in June 2025, then another $32 million in January 2026, pushing the current-year cost past $309 million. The Department of Education estimated costs could reach $326 million before the year ends.

9,000 fewer students enrolled in Arkansas public schools in 2025-26, the steepest single-year decline in at least 20 years

Sanders proposed a $6.5 billion budget directing half of new spending toward vouchers. Meanwhile, public school enrollment dropped to 465,421 students from 474,337. The majority of districts facing the steepest drops had fewer than 1,000 students. For small rural districts, even a small enrollment decline can push them toward fiscal distress or consolidation.

Voucher program	Amount
Per-student EFA (2025-26)	$6,994
Per-student EFA (2026-27)	$7,208
Total program cost (2025-26)	$309M+
Students approved	~47,000
Public school enrollment decline	9,000 students (1.9%)

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Healthcare and benefits

Arkansas was the first state to implement Medicaid work requirements in June 2018. The program required beneficiaries ages 19-49 to report 80 hours per month of work or community engagement through an online portal. By March 2019, 18,000 people had lost coverage. Most lost coverage because of reporting problems, not because they stopped working. A federal judge shut the program down.

Now work requirements are coming back. Congress passed H.R. 1 in July 2025, adding the first-ever national Medicaid work requirements. Arkansas is soft-launching automated compliance checks on July 1, 2026, with no penalties. Full enforcement with benefit suspension begins January 1, 2027. If you do not comply within 30 days, your Medicaid is suspended.

The state also signed the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act in 2025, adding presumptive Medicaid eligibility for pregnant Arkansans and a 70% increase in delivery and C-section reimbursement rates. That is real progress on maternal care. But it is happening at the same time the state is adding paperwork barriers to basic health coverage for everyone else.

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LGBTQ rights

Arkansas was the first state in the nation to ban gender-affirming medical care for minors. Act 626 of 2021 (the SAFE Act) prohibits puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and related referrals for anyone under 18. The legislature overrode Governor Hutchinson’s veto to pass it.

The ACLU challenged the law in Brandt v. Rutledge. A federal judge blocked the law in 2023. Then in June 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s similar ban in United States v. Skrmetti. AG Tim Griffin asked the 8th Circuit to reconsider. On August 12, 2025, the 8th Circuit ruled 8-2 to uphold the SAFE Act.

Griffin also joined 16 other attorneys general challenging a Biden-era rule that categorized gender dysphoria as a disability. That case is stayed while the Trump administration reconsiders the rule.

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Tax cuts and government

Since 2023, Arkansas has cut income taxes four times, returning over $1.5 billion to taxpayers. In May 2026, the top individual rate dropped to 3.7% and the corporate rate to 4.1%. The revenue impact is $191.8 million in FY2027 and $144.8 million in FY2028. Americans for Prosperity launched a “Pathway to Zero” initiative to eliminate the state income tax entirely.

The Sanders administration’s Arkansas Forward initiative claims $300 million in cost savings over three years. State employees lost remote work privileges effective October 1, 2025. Government office hours were extended. Virtual meetings were discouraged.

The question is what disappears when revenue drops. Vouchers cost $309 million. Medicaid work requirements add administrative costs. Public school enrollment is falling. The math has to come from somewhere.

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2026 elections

Sanders is seeking a second term. State Representative Fredrick Love won the Democratic nomination. In the U.S. Senate race, Tom Cotton faces farmer Hallie Shoffner, who won the Democratic primary with 78% of the vote. Democrats have not won a Senate election in Arkansas since 2008.

Race	Candidates	Date
Governor	Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) vs. Fredrick Love (D)	Nov. 3, 2026
U.S. Senate	Tom Cotton (R) vs. Hallie Shoffner (D)	Nov. 3, 2026

These races are long shots. They still matter. A statewide campaign gives voters a public way to challenge voucher costs and Medicaid paperwork. Make candidates answer for the tradeoffs on a stage where the answers are harder to walk back than press releases.

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Protect yourself right now

1. Check your voter registration. Confirm your status and polling place before November 3 at your county clerk’s office.

2. Track the Medicaid work requirement timeline. Automated checks start July 1, 2026. Enforcement starts January 1, 2027. If you or someone you know depends on Medicaid expansion, keep your contact information current with Arkansas DHS.

3. Ask your school board about voucher impact. Your district lost students and funding this year. Ask where the money went and what positions were cut. School board meetings are public.

4. Call your state legislators about the tax cuts. Ask them to explain how the state pays for $309 million in vouchers, Medicaid administration, and public services while cutting income tax revenue by $190 million per year. Find your legislator at the Arkansas Legislature.

5. Know the SAFE Act ruling. The 8th Circuit upheld the ban. If you are a family affected by this law, the ACLU of Arkansas tracks the case and provides resources.