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The 2000 United States presidential election in Arkansas took place on November 7, 2000, and was part of the 2000 United States presidential election. State voters chose six representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

In this election, Arkansas was seen as a swing state, as George W. Bush's opposition to abortion and support for the death penalty, issues that resonated with many Arkansans[1][2] combined with Gore distancing himself from the popularity of Arkansas native and sitting president Bill Clinton created a battleground environment in the state.[3]

In the end, Bush won the state by 5.45%; a hard swing right from the 16.94-point Democratic victory four years prior. He won a majority of the popular vote and the state's six electoral votes, marking the first time in history that a Democratic presidential nominee won the national popular vote without carrying Arkansas. As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last election in which Ashley County, Craighead County, Cross County, Dallas County, Drew County, Greene County, Hot Spring County, Izard County, Lafayette County, Nevada County, and Ouachita County have voted for the Democratic candidate.

Results

2000 United States presidential election in Arkansas
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican George W. Bush 472,940 51.31% 6
Democratic Al Gore 422,768 45.86% 0
Green Party Ralph Nader 13,421 1.46% 0
Reform Patrick Buchanan 5,192 0.80% 0
Libertarian Harry Browne 2,781 0.30% 0
Constitution Party Howard Phillips 1,145 0.14% 0
Natural Law John Hagelin 1,098 0.13% 0
Totals 919,345 100.00% 6
Voter turnout 46%

By county

County George W. Bush
Republican
Al Gore
Democratic
Various candidates
Other parties
Margin Total
# % # % # % # %
Arkansas 3,353 52.62% 2,877 45.15% 142 2.23% 476 7.47% 6,372
Ashley 3,876 46.86% 4,253 51.42% 142 1.72% -377 -4.56% 8,271
Baxter 9,538 57.09% 6,516 39.00% 654 3.91% 3,022 18.09% 16,708
Benton 34,838 64.94% 17,277 32.21% 1,531 2.85% 17,561 32.73% 53,646
Boone 8,569 62.85% 4,493 32.95% 573 4.20% 4,076 29.90% 13,635
Bradley 1,793 45.06% 2,122 53.33% 64 1.61% -329 -8.27% 3,979
Calhoun 1,128 51.62% 1,017 46.54% 40 1.83% 111 5.08% 2,185
Carroll 5,556 57.94% 3,595 37.49% 439 4.58% 1,961 20.45% 9,590
Chicot 1,564 35.13% 2,820 63.34% 68 1.53% -1,256 -28.21% 4,452
Clark 3,376 43.77% 4,661 54.03% 189 2.19% -1,285 -10.26% 8,626
Clay 2,254 38.20% 3,527 59.78% 119 2.02% -1,273 -21.58% 5,900
Cleburne 5,730 56.14% 4,120 40.36% 357 3.50% 1,610 15.78% 10,207
Cleveland 1,678 52.75% 1,414 44.45% 89 2.80% 264 8.30% 3,181
Columbia 5,018 53.92% 4,003 43.01% 286 3.07% 1,015 10.91% 9,307
Conway 3,545 49.00% 3,496 48.33% 193 2.67% 49 0.67% 7,234
Craighead 12,158 48.33% 12,376 49.20% 623 2.48% -218 -0.87% 25,157
Crawford 10,804 61.30% 6,288 35.68% 533 3.02% 4,516 25.62% 17,625
Crittenden 5,857 44.26% 7,224 54.59% 153 1.15% -1,367 -10.33% 13,234
Cross 3,033 48.80% 3,096 49.81% 86 1.38% -63 -1.01% 6,215
Dallas 1,571 47.25% 1,710 51.43% 44 1.32% -139 -4.18% 3,325
Desha 1,603 35.66% 2,776 61.76% 116 2.58% -1,173 -26.10% 4,495
Drew 2,756 46.54% 3,060 51.67% 106 1.79% -304 -5.13% 5,922
Faulkner 16,055 54.95% 11,950 40.90% 1,211 4.14% 4,105 14.05% 29,216
Franklin 3,277 53.37% 2,674 43.55% 189 3.08% 603 9.82% 6,140
Fulton 2,036 49.56% 1,976 48.10% 96 2.34% 60 1.46% 4,108
Garland 19,098 53.15% 15,840 44.08% 997 2.77% 3,258 9.07% 35,935
Grant 3,285 54.63% 2,535 42.16% 193 3.21% 750 12.47% 6,013
Greene 5,831 46.71% 6,319 50.62% 334 2.68% -488 -3.91% 12,484
Hempstead 3,257 44.68% 3,937 54.01% 95 1.30% -680 -9.33% 7,289
Hot Spring 5,042 45.92% 5,527 50.33% 412 3.75% -485 -4.41% 10,981
Howard 2,326 52.16% 2,063 46.27% 70 1.57% 263 5.89% 4,459
Independence 6,145 53.00% 5,146 44.39% 303 2.61% 999 8.61% 11,594
Izard 2,301 45.73% 2,587 51.41% 144 2.86% -286 -5.68% 5,032
Jackson 2,280 37.55% 3,651 60.13% 141 2.32% -1,371 -22.58% 6,072
Jefferson 8,765 32.22% 17,716 65.13% 720 2.65% -8,951 -32.91% 27,201
Johnson 3,657 51.07% 3,270 45.66% 234 3.27% 387 5.41% 7,161
Lafayette 1,538 45.46% 1,806 53.38% 39 1.15% -268 -7.92% 3,383
Lawrence 2,626 43.48% 3,255 53.89% 159 2.63% -629 -10.41% 6,040
Lee 1,351 32.78% 2,727 66.17% 43 1.04% -1,376 -33.39% 4,121
Lincoln 1,526 43.03% 1,957 55.19% 63 1.78% -431 -12.16% 3,546
Little River 2,283 43.38% 2,883 54.78% 97 1.84% -600 -11.40% 5,263
Logan 4,487 55.42% 3,283 40.55% 326 4.03% 1,204 14.87% 8,096
Lonoke 10,606 59.11% 6,851 38.18% 486 2.71% 3,755 20.93% 17,943
Madison 3,387 60.18% 2,055 36.51% 186 3.30% 1,332 23.67% 5,628
Marion 3,402 56.56% 2,233 37.12% 380 6.32% 1,169 19.44% 6,015
Miller 7,276 52.94% 6,278 45.67% 191 1.39% 998 7.27% 13,745
Mississippi 5,199 41.31% 7,107 56.47% 280 2.22% -1,908 -15.16% 12,586
Monroe 1,329 40.36% 1,910 58.00% 54 1.64% -581 -17.64% 3,293
Montgomery 2,128 56.91% 1,438 38.46% 173 4.63% 690 18.45% 3,739
Nevada 1,796 48.05% 1,867 49.95% 75 2.00% -71 -1.90% 3,738
Newton 2,529 64.40% 1,205 30.69% 193 4.91% 1,324 33.71% 3,927
Ouachita 4,739 45.59% 5,464 52.56% 192 1.85% -725 -6.97% 10,395
Perry 2,114 52.76% 1,648 41.13% 245 6.11% 466 11.63% 4,007
Phillips 3,154 33.87% 6,018 64.62% 141 1.51% -2,864 -30.75% 9,313
Pike 2,275 57.29% 1,604 40.39% 92 2.32% 671 16.90% 3,971
Poinsett 2,988 41.30% 4,102 56.70% 145 2.00% -1,114 -15.40% 7,235
Polk 4,600 63.95% 2,315 32.18% 278 3.86% 2,285 31.77% 7,193
Pope 11,244 61.04% 6,669 36.20% 509 2.76% 4,575 24.84% 18,422
Prairie 1,862 53.09% 1,563 44.57% 82 2.34% 299 8.52% 3,507
Pulaski 55,866 43.94% 68,320 53.73% 2,965 2.33% -12,454 -9.79% 127,151
Randolph 2,673 45.48% 3,019 51.37% 185 3.15% -346 -5.89% 5,877
St. Francis 3,414 40.18% 4,986 58.69% 96 1.13% -1,572 -18.51% 8,496
Saline 18,617 57.48% 12,700 39.21% 1,074 3.32% 5,917 18.27% 32,391
Scott 2,399 60.26% 1,444 36.27% 138 3.47% 955 23.99% 3,981
Searcy 2,610 64.32% 1,229 30.29% 219 5.40% 1,381 34.03% 4,058
Sebastian 23,483 58.48% 15,555 38.73% 1,121 2.79% 7,928 19.75% 40,159
Sevier 2,111 49.17% 2,095 48.80% 87 2.03% 16 0.37% 4,293
Sharp 3,698 51.89% 3,236 45.41% 192 2.70% 462 6.48% 7,126
Stone 2,623 53.97% 2,043 42.04% 194 3.99% 580 11.93% 4,860
Union 8,647 55.40% 6,261 40.11% 701 4.49% 2,386 15.29% 15,609
Van Buren 3,485 49.90% 3,202 45.85% 297 4.25% 283 4.05% 6,984
Washington 28,231 54.86% 21,425 41.64% 1,803 3.50% 6,806 13.22% 51,459
White 13,170 59.46% 8,342 37.66% 638 2.88% 4,828 21.80% 22,150
Woodruff 898 33.87% 1,699 64.09% 54 2.04% -801 -30.22% 2,651
Yell 3,223 49.75% 3,062 47.26% 194 2.99% 161 2.49% 6,479
Totals 472,940 51.31% 422,768 45.86% 26,073 2.83% 50,172 5.45% 921,781

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

By congressional district

Bush won 2 of 4 congressional districts, including one held by a Democrat.[4]

District Bush Gore Representative
1st 47% 50% Marion Berry
2nd 49% 48% Vic Snyder
3rd 59% 37% Asa Hutchinson
John Boozman
4th 47% 50% Jay Dickey
Mike Ross

Electors

Technically the voters of Arkansas cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Arkansas is allocated 6 electors because it has 4 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 6 electors, who pledge to vote for their candidate and his or her running mate. Whoever wins the majority of votes in the state is awarded all 6 electoral votes. Their chosen electors then vote for president and vice president. Although electors are pledged to their candidate and running mate, they are not obligated to vote for them. An elector who votes for someone other than his or her candidate is known as a faithless elector.

The electors of each state and the District of Columbia met on December 18, 2000[5] to cast their votes for president and vice president. The Electoral College itself never meets as one body. Instead the electors from each state and the District of Columbia met in their respective capitols.

The following were the members of the Electoral College from the state. All were pledged to and voted for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney:[6]

  1. Pat Dodge
  2. Bud Cummins
  3. Mildred Homan
  4. Betsy Thompson
  5. Kim Hendren
  6. Sarah Agee

See also

References

  1. ^ "George W. Bush on the Issues". On the Issues. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  2. ^ "Executed Offenders". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. October 27, 2006. Archived from the original on November 8, 2006. Retrieved January 30, 2021 – via Wayback Machine.
  3. ^ Neal, Pat (October 10, 2000). "Clinton's Arkansas in play as presidential battleground state". CNN. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  4. ^ 2000 Presidential General Election Results - Arkansas US Election Atlas
  5. ^ "2000 Post-Election Timeline of Events".
  6. ^ "President Elect - 2000". Archived from the original on February 12, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2009.