Arkansas House of Representatives District 6
From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 14 min
| Census Topic | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 29,024 |
| Gender |
46.7% Male 53.3% Female |
| Race |
70.1% White 22.3% Black 0.9% Asian 0.4% Native American 0% Pacific Islander |
| Ethnicity | 3.9% Hispanic |
| Median household income | $48,673 |
| High school graduation rate | 88.2% |
| College graduation rate | 22.8% |
Arkansas House of Representatives District 6 is represented by Matthew Shepherd (R).
As of the 2020 Census, Arkansas state representatives represented an average of 30,115 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 29,159 residents.
About the office[edit]
Members of the Arkansas House of Representatives serve two-year terms with term limits of no more than 12 consecutive years with the opportunity to return after a four-year break.[1] Arkansas legislators assume office on the second Monday of January following their election.[2]
Qualifications[edit]
Article 5, Section 4 of the Arkansas Constitution states: No person shall be a Senator or Representative who, at the time of his election, is not a citizen of the United States, nor any one who has not been for two years next preceding his election, a resident of this State, and for one year next preceding his election, a resident of the county or district whence he may be chosen. Senators shall be at least twenty-five years of age, and Representatives at least twenty-one years of age.
Salaries[edit]
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislators | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $42,428/year | For legislators residing within 50 miles of the capitol: $55/day. For legislators residing more than 50 miles from the capitol: $151/day. |
Term limits[edit]
- See also: State legislatures with term limits
The Arkansas legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. The Arkansas House of Representatives has been term-limited since Arkansas voters approved the Arkansas Term Limits Initiative in 1992 as an initiated constitutional amendment. The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2000.
In 2014, voters approved the Arkansas Elected Officials Ethics, Transparency and Financial Reform Amendment, which permitted a legislator to serve a total of 16 years in the House or Senate during his or her lifetime.[3] In 2020, voters modified the term limits for Arkansas state legislative members. Voters passed Issue 2 in November 2020 with 55.38% of the vote. The measure imposed term limits of 12 consecutive years for state legislators with the opportunity to return after a four-year break. State legislators elected in November 2020 or already in office would be allowed to serve the former term limit of 16 years.
Vacancies[edit]
If there is a vacancy in the Arkansas General Assembly, the governor must call for a special election to fill the vacancy. The election must be called by the governor without delay.[4][5] For all special elections in the Senate, the county that first established the district is responsible for conducting the election.[6] If the special election is to fill a House seat, the county board of election commissioners representing the vacant district conducts the election.[7] All special elections must be held on the second Tuesday of the month, unless the second Tuesday of the month falls on a legal holiday or is in June during an even-numbered year.[8]
See sources: Arkansas Stat. Ann. § 7-11-103 and Arkansas Cons. Art. 5, § 6
District map[edit]
The map below shows this district's current boundaries, not those enacted as part of the 2020 redistricting cycle.
Redistricting[edit]
2020-2022[edit]
On December 29, 2021, new state House and Senate district maps went into effect.[9] The Arkansas Board of Apportionment—made up of the governor, secretary of state, and attorney general—initially displayed these maps on Oct. 29, 2021, beginning a month-long public comment period.[10] The board met on Nov. 29 to incorporate feedback and then voted 3-0 in favor of the final maps. These maps take effect for Arkansas' 2022 legislative elections.
How does redistricting in Arkansas work? The Arkansas General Assembly is responsible for drawing congressional district lines. Both chambers of the state legislature must approve a single redistricting plan. The governor may veto the lines drawn by the state legislature.[11]
Arkansas' state legislative district lines are drawn by a politician commission, the Arkansas Board of Apportionment. The commission comprises the governor, the secretary of state, and the attorney general.[11]
The Arkansas Constitution requires that Arkansas State Senate district lines be "contiguous, and that they follow county lines except where necessary to comply with other legal requirements." There are no such requirements in place for congressional districts.[11]
Arkansas House of Representatives District 6
before 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Arkansas House of Representatives District 6
after 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections[edit]
2022[edit]
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 6
Incumbent Harlan Breaux, Markeeta Tucker, and Dakota Logan are running in the general election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 6 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate |
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Harlan Breaux (R) | |
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Markeeta Tucker (D) 
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Dakota Logan (L) | |
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Democratic primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 6
Markeeta Tucker advanced from the Democratic primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 6 on May 24, 2022.
Candidate |
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Markeeta Tucker
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 6
Incumbent Harlan Breaux defeated Brian Ayers in the Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 6 on May 24, 2022.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
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| ✔ |
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Harlan Breaux |
51.7
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2,342 |
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Brian Ayers |
48.3
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2,186 | |
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Total votes: 4,528 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Libertarian convention for Arkansas House of Representatives District 6
Dakota Logan advanced from the Libertarian convention for Arkansas House of Representatives District 6 on February 20, 2022.
Candidate |
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Dakota Logan (L) |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
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2020[edit]
General election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 6
Incumbent Matthew Shepherd won election in the general election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 6 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
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| ✔ |
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Matthew Shepherd (R) |
100.0
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11,610 |
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Total votes: 11,610 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Matthew Shepherd advanced from the Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 6.
2018[edit]
The general election was canceled. Incumbent Matthew Shepherd won election in the general election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 6.
Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 6
Incumbent Matthew Shepherd advanced from the Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 6 on May 22, 2018.
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Matthew Shepherd |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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2016[edit]
Ballotpedia's analysis revealed that only 42 of the 100 seats up for election in 2016 involved competition between Democrats and Republicans. This made it numerically impossible for Democrats to take control of either Arkansas legislative chamber in 2016.
The reason for the low competition was that candidates were in safe districts for their parties. Between 1972 and 2014, an upward trend in uncontested state legislative elections occurred.
The Democratic Party of Arkansas focused its 2016 efforts on the state’s House of Representatives. Without the numbers to win the state Senate, H.L. Moody, communications director for the Democratic Party of Arkansas, told Ballotpedia that the party’s goal was to “start building back where we can,” beginning with the House.
Ballotpedia spoke to political analyst Richard Winger, who said that the early primary deadline for the 2016 elections was a possible factor as well, making it difficult for Democrats to recruit candidates early.
The primary election was held on March 1, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing period began at noon local time on November 2, 2015, and ended at noon local time on November 9, 2015.[12]
Incumbent Matthew Shepherd ran unopposed in the Arkansas House of Representatives District 6 general election.[13]
| Arkansas House of Representatives, District 6 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican |  Matthew Shepherd Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: Arkansas Secretary of State | ||
Incumbent Matthew Shepherd ran unopposed in the Arkansas House of Representatives District 6 Republican Primary.[14][15]
| Arkansas House of Representatives, District 6 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Matthew Shepherd Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014[edit]
Elections for the Arkansas House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014; a runoff election took place where necessary on June 10, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 3, 2014. Incumbent Matthew Shepherd was unopposed in the Republican primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[16][17]
2012[edit]
Elections for the office of Arkansas House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on May 22, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 1, 2012. Incumbent Matthew Shepherd defeated Peter Sam Cyphers (I) in the general election. Neither candidate faced opposition in the May 22 Republican primary.[18][19]
| Arkansas House of Representatives, District 6, General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Matthew Shepherd Incumbent |
82.4% | 10,051 | |
| Independent | Peter Sam Cyphers | 17.6% | 2,149 | |
| Total Votes | 12,200 | |||
Campaign contributions[edit]
From 2000 to 2018, candidates for Arkansas House of Representatives District 6 raised a total of $498,934. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $31,183 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Arkansas House of Representatives District 6 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2018 | $63,098 | 1 | $63,098 |
| 2016 | $65,560 | 1 | $65,560 |
| 2014 | $57,341 | 1 | $57,341 |
| 2012 | $67,850 | 2 | $33,925 |
| 2010 | $143,902 | 2 | $71,951 |
| 2008 | $22,166 | 1 | $22,166 |
| 2006 | $33,775 | 2 | $16,888 |
| 2004 | $2,000 | 1 | $2,000 |
| 2002 | $1,750 | 1 | $1,750 |
| 2000 | $41,492 | 4 | $10,373 |
| Total | $498,934 | 16 | $31,183 |
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ Arkansas State Legislature, "Constitution of the State of Arkansas of 1874," accessed January 14, 2015
- ↑ Justia, "Arkansas Constitution Article 5 - Legislative Department Section 5 - Time of meeting," accessed October 26, 2021
- ↑ Arkansas Legislature, "HJR1009," accessed February 9, 2021
- ↑ Arkansas Legislature, "Arkansas Code - Unannotated," accessed February 9, 2021 (Statutes, 10-2-118)
- ↑ Arkansas Legislature, "Arkansas Code - Unannotated," accessed February 9, 2021 (Statutes, 10-2-119)
- ↑ Arkansas Legislature, "Arkansas Code - Unannotated," accessed February 9, 2021 (Statutes, 10-2-120(a)(1))
- ↑ Arkansas Legislature, "Arkansas Code - Unannotated," accessed February 9, 2021 (Statutes, 7-11-103(a))
- ↑ Arkansas Legislature, "Arkansas Code - Unannotated," accessed February 9, 2021 (Statutes, 7-11-105 1 (a)-(c))
- ↑ Democracy Docket, "Arkansas State Conference NAACP v. The Arkansas Board of Apportionment complaint," Dec. 29, 2021
- ↑ Arkansas Online, "Arkansas board accepts redrawn legislative district maps," Oct. 30, 2021
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 All About Redistricting, "Arkansas," accessed April 20, 2015
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "2016 Election Dates," accessed November 17, 2015
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "2016 General Election and Nonpartisan Runoff Election," accessed November 23, 2016
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Candidate Information," accessed July 25, 2016
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Results," accessed April 19, 2016
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Candidate Information," accessed March 5, 2014
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed June 26, 2014
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, “2012 General Election,” October 21, 2013
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, “2012 General Primary,” October 21, 2013
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