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, combined with Gore distancing himself from Arkansas native and sitting president Bill Clinton, created a battleground environment in the state.
In the end, Bush won the state by 5.45%; this represents a hard swing to the right from the 16.94-point Democratic victory four years prior. As of the 2024 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. This is the last time the Democratic nominee for president won any congressional district in the state.
General election
Results
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Arkansas (largest city: Stuttgart)
- Calhoun (largest city: Hampton)
- Cleburne (largest city: Heber Springs)
- Cleveland (largest city: Rison)
- Columbia (largest city: Magnolia)
- Conway (largest city: Morrilton)
- Faulkner (largest city: Conway)
- Franklin (largest city: Ozark)
- Fulton (largest city: Salem)
- Garland (largest city: Hot Springs)
- Grant (largest city: Sheridan)
- Howard (largest city: Nashville)
- Independence (largest city: Batesville)
- Johnson (largest city: Clarksville)
- Logan (largest city: Booneville)
- Lonoke (largest city: Cabot)
- Madison (largest city: Huntsville)
- Marion (largest city: Bull Shoals)
- Miller (largest city: Texarkana)
- Montgomery (largest city: Mount Ida)
- Perry (largest city: Perryville)
- Pike (largest city: Glenwood)
- Pope (largest city: Russellville)
- Prairie (largest city: Des Arc)
- Saline (largest city: Benton)
- Scott (largest city: Waldron)
- Sevier (largest city: De Queen)
- Sharp (largest city: Cherokee Village)
- Stone (largest city: Mountain View)
- Union (largest city: El Dorado)
- Van Buren (largest city: Clinton)
- Washington (largest city: Fayetteville)
- White (largest city: Searcy)
- Yell (largest city: Dardanelle)
By congressional district
Bush won two of four congressional districts, including one that elected a Democrat.
Electors
Technically the voters of Arkansas cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Arkansas is allocated six electors because it has four congressional districts and two senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of six electors, who pledge to vote for their candidate and their running mate. Whoever wins the majority of votes in the state is awarded all six 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 their candidate is known as a faithless elector.
The electors of each state and the District of Columbia met on December 18, 2000 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:
- Pat Dodge
- Bud Cummins
- Mildred Homan
- Betsy Thompson
- Kim Hendren
- Sarah Agee