What is a County Clerk?

by Kristin Higgins - May 4, 2022

Are you looking at your sample ballot for the Nov. 8 Arkansas election? There are a lot of jobs on the ballot that people might not know what they do.

Today we highlight the job of a county clerk.

County Clerk in Arkansas

Are you married? Do you vote? If you answered yes to either of those questions, you've interacted with a County Clerk.

Depending on your county, the county clerk role might be combined with the county circuit clerk position. This administrative role is tied to record keeping, and is one of nine executives in county government.

Term in Office: A constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2016 changed the term of a county clerk from two years to four years. The pay for the job varies depending on the population of the county, and is set by the Quorum Court.

The Association of Arkansas Counties reported salaries ranging from about $22,118 to $130,902 in their 2021 county government salary survey. Counties that reported a low salary were for part-time positions where the person is also paid for another role in county government. 

Eligibility Requirements:

• United States citizen
• At least 18 years old
• Registered to vote in their county
• No fraud or felony convictions

Job Duties:

Over their four-year term, a county clerk is responsible for:

• Maintaining the official records (ordinances, resolutions, etc.) and minutes of the Quorum Court.
• Keeping records of annexations, incorporations, county purchases, election results, proclamations, levy of taxes, board appointments, bonds, improvement districts, right of way acquisitions, contracts, and agreements signed by the County Judge.
• Maintaining the county's voter registration list, including adding and removing people to the rolls.
• Keeping custody of the county's absentee ballots and ballot boxes.
• Overseeing early voting in a county (election day is overseen by the election commission).
• Issuing marriage licenses.
• Holding the role of treasurer if the county doesn't have one, and handles county payroll.
• Maintaining the records of the Board of Equalization, which oversees property tax appeals.

Look at Your November Ballot

Early voting starts Oct. 24 and Election Day is Nov. 8. Find out what is on your ballot at the Arkansas Secretary of State's VoterView website, https://www.voterview.ar-nova.org/VoterView. 

Use our 2022 Arkansas Ballot Issues Voter Guide to learn about the constitutional amendments on this year's ballot.

Additional Reading

Arkansas County Clerks 2022 Procedures Manual - Association of Arkansas Counties