Editing Prairie County, Arkansas (section)

==Government and Politics==
[[File:Prairie County Courthouse, De Valls Bluff, AR 001.jpg|left|thumb|The Prairie County Courthouse in DeValls Bluff is the seat of county government in the southern district of the county]]
{{see also|Government of Arkansas|County judge|Quorum Court}}
The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the [[Constitution of Arkansas]] and the [[Arkansas Code]]. The quorum court is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all spending and revenue collection. Representatives are called ''justices of the peace'' and are elected from county districts every even-numbered year. The number of districts in a county vary from nine to fifteen, and district boundaries are drawn by the county election commission. The Prairie County Quorum Court has nine members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the [[chief operating officer]] of the county. The county judge is elected at-large and does not vote in quorum court business, although capable of vetoing quorum court decisions.<ref>{{ Cite encyclopedia |title= Quorum Courts |url= http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?search=1&entryID=6348 |encyclopedia= [[Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture]] |publisher= [[Butler Center for Arkansas Studies]] at the [[Central Arkansas Library System]] |date= March 24, 2014 |last= Teske |first= Steven |access-date= January 23, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{ Cite encyclopedia |title= Office of County Judge |url= http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=5720 |encyclopedia= [[Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture]] |publisher= Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System |date= August 28, 2015 |last= Goss |first= Kay C. |access-date= January 23, 2016 }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|+Prairie County, Arkansas Elected countywide officials<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prairie {{!}} Association of Arkansas Counties |url=https://www.arcounties.org/counties/prairie/ |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=www.arcounties.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Election Night Reporting |url=https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/AR/Prairie/115827/web.307039/#/summary?v=314098/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=results.enr.clarityelections.com}}</ref><ref>https://www.arcounties.org/site/assets/files/6033/november_races.pdf</ref>
!Position
!Officeholder
!Party
|-style="background-color: #F48882;
|[[County judge|County Judge]]
|Lawrence Holloway
|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|-style="background-color: #F48882;
|[[Municipal clerk|County Clerk]]/[[Court clerk|Circuit Clerk]]
|Gaylon Hale
|Republican
|-
|[[Sheriff]]
|Rick Parson
|(Unknown)
|-
|[[Treasurer]]
|Tabitha Gates
|(Unknown)
|-
|[[Tax collector|Collector]]
|Troy Geisler
|(Unknown)
|-
|[[Tax assessment|Assessor]]
|Karan Skarda
|(Unknown)
|-style="background-color: #999999;
|[[Coroner]]
|Byrum Kelly
|[[Independent politician|Independent]]
|}
The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 9 [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prairie County, Arkansas, elections, 2024 |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Prairie_County,_Arkansas,_elections,_2024 |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=Ballotpedia |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Election Night Reporting |url=https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/AR/Prairie/122562/web.345435/#/summary?v=355131/ |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=results.enr.clarityelections.com |language=en}}</ref>

Incumbents are:

* District 1: Bill Calhoun (R)
* District 2: Zach Payne (R)
* District 3: Ronald Eans (R) 
* District 4: Jordan Smith (R)
* District 5: Gary King (R)
* District 6: Rick Stallings (R)
* District 7: Levi Childress (R)
* District 8: Bobby Willeford (R)
* District 9: Paul Hooks (R)
Additionally, the townships of Prairie County are entitled to elect their own respective constables, as set forth by the [[Constitution of Arkansas]]. Constables are largely of historical significance as they were used to keep the peace in rural areas when travel was more difficult.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is a Constable? |url=https://www.uaex.uada.edu/business-communities/ced-blog/posts/2022/may/what-is-a-constable.aspx |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=What is a Constable? |language=en}}</ref>

The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prairie County, Arkansas, elections, 2024 |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Prairie_County,_Arkansas,_elections,_2024 |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=Ballotpedia |language=en}}</ref>

* Belcher-Tyler: Jeffrey Uhiren (R)
* Calhoun: Gary Carter (R)
* Center: Joe Ryan Mills (R)
* Des Arc: Michael McIntosh (R)
* Hazen: Mike Corley (R)

===Politics===
Since the late 20th century, the majority-white Prairie County has traditionally supported [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] presidential candidates, except when an alternative from another [[Southern United States|Southern state]] has been present. The county supported [[List of Governors of Alabama|Arkansas Governor]] [[Bill Clinton]] by a wide margin, as well as [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] [[List of Governors of Georgia|Governor]] [[Jimmy Carter]], [[Alabama]] [[List of Governors of Alabama|Governor]] [[George Wallace]] (running as an independent), and [[Texas]] native [[Lyndon Johnson]]. Following Clinton, the county has turned increasingly Republican, supporting [[Donald Trump]] 72.7% in 2016.<ref name="pol" />

{{PresHead|place=Prairie County, Arkansas|source=<ref name="pol" >{{ cite web |first= David |last= Leip |title= Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections |url= http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/ |access-date= December 5, 2016 }}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|2,628|524|48|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|2,786|654|55|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|2,505|814|125|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|2,153|880|108|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|2,223|1,048|110|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|2,030|1,562|32|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|1,862|1,563|82|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|1,025|2,211|339|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|1,154|2,366|436|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|1,947|1,688|21|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|2,407|1,437|32|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1980|Democratic|1,855|1,928|112|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|813|2,836|0|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|2,186|873|0|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|693|875|2,014|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|1,476|1,812|22|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|734|1,680|222|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|917|1,504|19|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|871|1,664|6|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|260|1,020|398|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|465|1,117|3|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|336|1,069|3|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|282|1,321|3|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|158|1,743|10|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|613|1,000|8|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|386|730|65|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|842|962|41|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|655|1,061|0|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|376|647|163|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1908|Democratic|812|1,103|59|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1904|Republican|648|639|28|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|496|856|9|Arkansas}}
{{PresFoot|1896|Democratic|633|1,145|5|Arkansas}}

In [[United States Congress|Congress]], Arkansas has been represented by two Republican senators ([[John Boozman]] and [[Tom Cotton]]) since January 3, 2015, ending a long history of Democratic hegemony. In the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], Prairie County is within the [[Arkansas's 1st congressional district|Arkansas 1st district]] with many other agricultural Delta counties on the eastern side of the state. The Arkansas 1st has been represented by [[Rick Crawford (politician)|Rick Crawford]] since [[United States House of Representatives elections in Arkansas, 2010#District 1|2010]].

In the [[Arkansas Senate]], Prairie County is within the 10th District, which also covers all of Cross, Jackson, Monroe, and Woodruff Counties and parts of Arkansas, Lee, Lonoke, Poinsett and St. Francis Counties. It is represented by Republican [[Ron Caldwell|Ronald Caldwell]] of [[Wynne, Arkansas|Wynne]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ronald Caldwell |url=https://senate.arkansas.gov/senators/ronald-caldwell/ |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=Arkansas Senate |language=en}}</ref> It was previously in the 28th District, which covered portions of Arkansas, Lonoke, Monroe, White, and Woodruff counties. The district was represented by [[Jonathan Dismang]], a [[Beebe, Arkansas|Beebe]] Republican, from January 2013 until redistricting in 2023. In the [[Arkansas House of Representatives]], Prairie County is split between the 60th and 61st districts. District 60, which covers western parts of Prairie County and also contains portions of Lonoke county, is represented by Republican [[Roger Lynch (politician)|Roger Lynch]] of [[Lonoke, Arkansas|Lonoke.]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roger D. Lynch - Arkansas House of Representatives |url=https://www.arkansashouse.org/district/60 |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=www.arkansashouse.org}}</ref> District 60, which covers eastern parts of Prairie County and also contains portions of Arkansas, Jackson, Monroe, and Woodruff counties, is represented by Republican [[Jeremiah Moore (politician)|Jeremiah Moore]] of [[Clarendon, Arkansas|Clarendon]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jeremiah Moore - Arkansas House of Representatives |url=https://www.arkansashouse.org/district/61 |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=www.arkansashouse.org}}</ref> Prairie County was previously in District 13, which was represented by [[David Hillman (politician)|David Hillman]] of [[Almyra, Arkansas|Almyra]] from 2013 to 2023.<ref>{{ cite map |author= Arkansas Economic Development Institute |title= Arkansas District Finder |publisher= [[University of Arkansas at Little Rock]] |location= Little Rock |scale= Various |url=https://argis.ualr.edu/DistrictFinder/index.html |access-date= February 23, 2019 }}</ref> Hillman switched to the Republican Party shortly after winning reelection in November 2016.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Moritz|first1=John|title=Arkansas representative switches parties, giving GOP supermajority in House|url=http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2016/nov/22/arkansas-representative-switches-parties-giving-go/|access-date=November 22, 2016|publisher=Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette}}</ref>
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