Arkansas GOP Secretary of State Runoff Pits Election Overhaul Visions

Two Republicans with competing plans for voting and elections face off in Tuesday's primary runoff

Mar. 30, 2026 at 6:18pm

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A heavily textured, abstract painting of a ballot box or voting machine in overlapping, fractured geometric shapes and waves of dark blue, forest green, and burnt orange, conceptually representing the tension and uncertainty around election administration.The Arkansas Secretary of State race highlights the ongoing debate over election integrity and the future of voting in the state.Little Rock Today

Two Arkansas Republicans, U.S. Army veteran Bryan Norris and state Sen. Kim Hammer, are competing in a primary runoff election on Tuesday for the GOP nomination for Secretary of State. Both candidates have touted their support for former President Trump's agenda to overhaul elections, but they disagree on key points of election administration, such as Norris' support for fully hand-counting ballots without the use of tabulation equipment.

Why it matters

The Arkansas Secretary of State oversees elections in the state, making the Republican primary runoff an important race that could shape how voting and elections are administered in Arkansas. The outcome could also signal the direction of the Republican Party on election issues in a key swing state.

The details

Norris and Hammer were the top two vote-getters in the March 3 GOP primary, but neither received a majority. Norris has the backing of prominent 2020 election deniers like Michael Flynn and Mike Lindell, while Hammer is endorsed by much of the state's Republican establishment, including Sen. Tom Cotton and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Norris supports fully hand-counting ballots, while Hammer authored a law requiring hand-counted ballots to be compatible with state tabulation equipment.

  • The primary runoff election will be held on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.
  • Polls will close at 7:30 p.m. local time (8:30 p.m. ET).

The players

Bryan Norris

A U.S. Army veteran running for the Republican nomination for Arkansas Secretary of State. Norris supports fully hand-counting ballots without the use of tabulation equipment.

Kim Hammer

A state senator running for the Republican nomination for Arkansas Secretary of State. Hammer authored a law requiring hand-counted ballots to be compatible with state tabulation equipment.

Kelly Grappe

The Democratic nominee for Arkansas Secretary of State, who ran unopposed for her party's nomination.

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What they’re saying

“You're never going to hear me talk or speak that way again.”

— Bryan Norris

“Norris should drop out of the race over the candidate's past confrontational and expletive-laden social media posts.”

— Cole Jester, Outgoing Arkansas Secretary of State

What’s next

The winner of the Republican primary runoff will face Democrat Kelly Grappe in the November general election.

The takeaway

The Arkansas Secretary of State race has become a proxy battle over the future of election administration in the state, with the Republican candidates offering competing visions on issues like ballot-counting procedures. The outcome could have significant implications for voting rights and election integrity in Arkansas.