Jacksonville residents went to the polls this week in a three-way mayoral race that has yet to produce a clear, final answer on who will lead the city — or whether voters will have to return for a runoff next month. A city spokesperson said there would be a runoff, while a Pulaski County election commission employee described one as merely a possibility.
According to The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the race had three candidates and no one received 50% of the vote, with 6,407 votes counted per the secretary of state's website. That same report said Jeff Elmore led the field with 3,096 votes, or 48.32%, while a separate figure in the same report put Elmore's vote total at 2,384 votes, or 37.21% — figures that conflict with each other. Kevin Cole was reported to have 927 votes, or 14.47%.
Arkansas state law requires a runoff when more than two candidates run and none receives a majority, the newspaper reported. A Pulaski County election commission employee said runoff status would not be known for certain until after more ballots are received on Nov. 13. If a runoff is required, it would be held Dec. 1, per the city spokesperson's account.
An unofficial results snippet from the Pulaski County Election Commission lists James E. Bolden III with 2,276 votes, or 49.46%, and Jeff Elmore with 1,657 votes, or 36.01%.
What State Law Says About Avoiding a Runoff
What State Law Says About Avoiding a Runoff Under Arkansas law, a runoff is required when more than two candidates run and none receives a majority, as the newspaper reported. Whether Jacksonville's final certified results showed a majority winner remains unclear. The same law specifies that if a runoff is required, it is held in the municipality four weeks after the general election.
Who's Running: Elmore and Bolden
Elmore, 56, was first elected mayor in 2022 and is running for his second term. Bolden, 68, is a pastor at Evangelistic Ministries Church who served in the U.S. Air Force and Army, retiring from the Army as a first sergeant; he has said he retired from military service in 1999. Bolden also served on the Pulaski County Special School District board and has advocated for Jacksonville to establish its own school district.
For now, Jacksonville voters are left watching two competing narratives about their own election — one in which the race heads to a Dec. 1 runoff, and another in which it's already over. Until more ballots are counted and a final tally is certified, neither version can be confirmed.
