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Arkansas · Snapshot open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-17

Ark. Code Ann. § 14-43-411: Council member vacancy in mayor-council form of government

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Where this section sits in the code
  1. AR Code
  2. Title 14
  3. Chapter 43
  4. Subchapter 4

(a) (1) (A) Whenever a vacancy occurs in the office of council member in a city of the first class having a population of less than twenty thousand (20,000) according to the most recent federal decennial census, at the first regular meeting after the occurrence of the vacancy, the city council shall proceed to elect by a majority vote of the remaining members elected to the council a council member to serve for the unexpired term. (B) (i) However, at least a quorum of the whole number of the city council shall remain in order to fill a vacancy. (ii) The election by the remaining members of the city council is not subject to veto by the mayor. (2) The person elected by the council shall be a resident of the ward where the vacancy occurs at the time of the vacancy. (b) When a vacancy occurs in any position of council member in a city having a population of twenty thousand (20,000) or more according to the most recent federal decennial census, a new council member shall be chosen in the following manner: (1) If the unexpired portion of the term of a council member exceeds one (1) year, at the first regular meeting after the occurrence of the vacancy, the city council shall proceed to either elect by a majority vote of the remaining members elected to the council a council member to serve for the unexpired term or call for a special election to be held in accordance with § 7-11-101 to fill the vacancy; or (2) If the unexpired portion of the term of a council member is one (1) year or less, a successor shall be chosen by a majority vote of the members of the council. Acts 1943, No. 154, § 1; 1981, No. 303, § 1; A.S.A. 1947, § 19-1026; Acts 1997, No. 202, § 1; 2005, No. 2145, § 28; 2007, No. 1049, § 47; 2009, No. 185, § 2; 2009, No. 385, § 2; 2009, No. 1480, § 65.

(a) (1) (A) Whenever a vacancy occurs in the office of council member in a city of the first class having a population of less than twenty thousand (20,000) according to the most recent federal decennial census, at the first regular meeting after the occurrence of the vacancy, the city council shall proceed to elect by a majority vote of the remaining members elected to the council a council member to serve for the unexpired term. (B) (i) However, at least a quorum of the whole number of the city council shall remain in order to fill a vacancy. (ii) The election by the remaining members of the city council is not subject to veto by the mayor. (2) The person elected by the council shall be a resident of the ward where the vacancy occurs at the time of the vacancy.

(1) (A) Whenever a vacancy occurs in the office of council member in a city of the first class having a population of less than twenty thousand (20,000) according to the most recent federal decennial census, at the first regular meeting after the occurrence of the vacancy, the city council shall proceed to elect by a majority vote of the remaining members elected to the council a council member to serve for the unexpired term. (B) (i) However, at least a quorum of the whole number of the city council shall remain in order to fill a vacancy. (ii) The election by the remaining members of the city council is not subject to veto by the mayor.

(A) Whenever a vacancy occurs in the office of council member in a city of the first class having a population of less than twenty thousand (20,000) according to the most recent federal decennial census, at the first regular meeting after the occurrence of the vacancy, the city council shall proceed to elect by a majority vote of the remaining members elected to the council a council member to serve for the unexpired term.

(B) (i) However, at least a quorum of the whole number of the city council shall remain in order to fill a vacancy. (ii) The election by the remaining members of the city council is not subject to veto by the mayor.

occurrence of the vacancy, the city council shall proceed to elect by a majority vote of the remaining members elected to the council a council member to serve for the unexpired term.

(B) (i) However, at least a quorum of the whole number of the city council shall remain in order to fill a vacancy. (ii) The election by the remaining members of the city council is not subject to veto by the mayor.

(i) However, at least a quorum of the whole number of the city council shall remain in order to fill a vacancy.

(ii) The election by the remaining members of the city council is not subject to veto by the mayor.

(2) The person elected by the council shall be a resident of the ward where the vacancy occurs at the time of the vacancy.

(b) When a vacancy occurs in any position of council member in a city having a population of twenty thousand (20,000) or more according to the most recent federal decennial census, a new council member shall be chosen in the following manner: (1) If the unexpired portion of the term of a council member exceeds one (1) year, at the first regular meeting after the occurrence of the vacancy, the city council shall proceed to either elect by a majority vote of the remaining members elected to the council a council member to serve for the unexpired term or call for a special election to be held in accordance with § 7-11-101 to fill the vacancy; or (2) If the unexpired portion of the term of a council member is one (1) year or less, a successor shall be chosen by a majority vote of the members of the council.

(1) If the unexpired portion of the term of a council member exceeds one (1) year, at the first regular meeting after the occurrence of the vacancy, the city council shall proceed to either elect by a majority vote of the remaining members elected to the council a council member to serve for the unexpired term or call for a special election to be held in accordance with § 7-11-101 to fill the vacancy; or

(2) If the unexpired portion of the term of a council member is one (1) year or less, a successor shall be chosen by a majority vote of the members of the council.

Collected 2026-09-17T21:35:43Z. Source file · JSON

Compilation CC BY 4.0, Open US Law (Vaquill AI). GroundRules uses only the releases published under CC BY 4.0: from v2026.09 the compilation is licensed CC BY-NC 4.0, and GroundRules does not use those releases. Each affected row names its release in its vintage label. GroundRules parsed and filtered the compilation to retain enacted text. Source · License

Arkansas electronic product files were republished by Public.Resource.Org under a public-domain mark. GroundRules uses enacted text from Release 78 only as a labeled supplement to the newer Open US Law rows. Source

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