Editing White County, Arkansas (section)

==Government==
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 White County Quorum Court has thirteen members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the chief executive 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 web |title=Quorum Courts |url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/quorum-courts-6348/ |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=Encyclopedia of Arkansas |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Office of County Judge |url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/office-of-county-judge-5720/ |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=Encyclopedia of Arkansas |language=en-US}}</ref> The 45th White County Judge was Michael Lincoln of Searcy, who served from January 2007 until his retirement in 2025.
The current Judge is Lisa Brown, who succeeded Lincoln in January 2025. In 1988, White County elected virtually an entire slate of Republicans to county offices. Though such Republican sweeps had frequently occurred in northern and northwestern Arkansas, White County was the first in the Little Rock area to turn to Republicans as the party steadily made inroads toward a [[two-party system]].<ref>[[Osro Cobb]], ''Osro Cobb of Arkansas: Memoirs of Historical Significance'', Carol Griffee, ed. ([[Little Rock, Arkansas]]: Rose Publishing Company, 1989), p. 114</ref>

At the state level, White County is represented in the [[Arkansas State Senate]] by Republican [[Jonathan Dismang]], a public accountant and former state representative from Searcy, of the 18th District.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jonathan Dismang |url=https://senate.arkansas.gov/senators/jonathan-dismang/ |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=Arkansas Senate |language=en}}</ref> In the [[Arkansas House of Representatives]], White County is split between five districts: the 39th, 40th, 57th, 58th, and 59th. District 39 is represented by Republican [[Wayne Long (Arkansas politician)|Wayne Long]] of Bradford,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wayne Long - Arkansas House of Representatives |url=https://www.arkansashouse.org/district/39 |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=www.arkansashouse.org}}</ref> District 40 by Republican [[Shad Pearce]] of [[Batesville, Arkansas|Batesville]] in [[Independence County, Arkansas|Independence County]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shad Pearce - Arkansas House of Representatives |url=https://www.arkansashouse.org/district/40 |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=www.arkansashouse.org}}</ref> District 57 by Republican [[Cameron Cooper]] of Romance,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cameron Cooper - Arkansas House of Representatives |url=https://www.arkansashouse.org/district/57 |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=www.arkansashouse.org}}</ref> District 58 by Republican [[Les Eaves]] of Searcy,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Les D. Eaves - Arkansas House of Representatives |url=https://www.arkansashouse.org/district/58 |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=www.arkansashouse.org}}</ref> and District 59 by Republican [[Jim Wooten (politician)|Jim Wooten]] of Beebe.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jim Wooten - Arkansas House of Representatives |url=https://www.arkansashouse.org/district/59 |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=www.arkansashouse.org}}</ref> White County is also under the state's 17th Judicial District, along with [[Prairie County, Arkansas|Prairie County]], and is served by [[District attorney|Prosecuting Attorney]] Rebecca Reed McCoy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prosecturing Attorney Rebecca Reed |url=https://www.whitecounty.ar.gov/prosecuting-attorney |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=White County, AR |language=en}}</ref> 

At the Federal level, White County is represented in the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] by Republicans [[John Boozman]] and [[Tom Cotton]]. In the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]], it is in [[Arkansas's 2nd congressional district|Arkansas's 2nd Congressional District]] and represented by Republican [[French Hill (politician)|French Hill]] of [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Interactive Google Map {{!}} U.S. Congressman French Hill |url=https://hill.house.gov/district/interactivemap.htm |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=hill.house.gov}}</ref> Over the past few election cycles White County has trended heavily towards the GOP. The last Democrat (as of 2024) to carry this county was [[Bill Clinton]] in 1996.

{| class="wikitable"
|+White County, Arkansas 
Elected countywide officials<ref>{{Cite web |title=County Officials |url=https://www.whitecounty.ar.gov/countyofficials |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=White County, AR |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=White {{!}} Association of Arkansas Counties |url=https://www.arcounties.org/counties/white/ |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=www.arcounties.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Election Night Reporting |url=https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/AR/White/115841/web.307039/#/summary?v=313959/ |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=results.enr.clarityelections.com}}</ref>
!Position
!Officeholder
!Party
|-style="background-color: #F48882;
|[[County judge|County Judge]]
|Lisa Brown
|Republican
|-style="background-color: #F48882;
|[[Municipal clerk|County Clerk]]
|Carla Barnett
|Republican
|-style="background-color: #F48882;
|[[Court clerk|Circuit Clerk]]
|Sara Brown Carlton
|Republican
|-style="background-color: #F48882;
|[[Sheriff]]
|Phillip Miller
|Republican
|-style="background-color: #F48882;
|[[Treasurer]]
|Janet Hibbetts
|Republican
|-style="background-color: #F48882;
|[[Tax collector|Tax Collector]]
|Beth Dorton
|Republican
|-style="background-color: #F48882;
|[[Tax assessment|Tax Assessor]]
|Gail Snyder
|Republican
|-style="background-color: #F48882;
|[[Coroner]]
|Matt Smith
|Republican
|}
The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 13 [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=White County Quorum Court |url=https://www.whitecounty.ar.gov/quorum-court |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=White County, AR |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=White County, Arkansas, elections, 2024 |url=https://ballotpedia.org/White_County,_Arkansas,_elections,_2024 |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=Ballotpedia |language=en}}</ref> Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:
{| class="wikitable"
|+White County Quorum Court<ref>{{Cite web |title=ArcGIS Web Application |url=https://agio.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=8bd86088bb7b4068a69db5f6567a8d0b |access-date=2025-04-29 |website=agio.maps.arcgis.com}}</ref>
!District
!Justice of the Peace
!Party
!Residence
!District description
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|1
|Doug Kennedy
|Republican
|Beebe
|Downtown and western Beebe; district includes Arkansas State University-Beebe
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|2
|Bobby Burns
|Republican
|Beebe
|Southwest White County, including parts of Beebe, along with the communities of Barrentine Corner, and Opal.
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|3
|Chris Boaz
|Republican
|El Paso
|Western White County, including Rose Bude, along with the communities of El Paso, Floyd, Joy, Romance, and Sidon.
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|4
|Allen King
|Republican
|Pangburn
|North-central and west-central White County, including Letona and Pangburn, along with the communities of Albion, Center Hill, Clay, Dewey, Harmony, Holly Springs, and Pickens.
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|5
|Jimmy L. House
|Republican
|Judsonia
|Northern and northeastern white county, including Bradford, along with the communities of Hickory Flat, Midway (near Pleasant Plains), Providence, Roosevelt, Steprock, Sunnydale, and Velvet Ridge.
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|6
|Shane Sellers
|Republican
|Judsonia
|Central and north-central White County, including Judsonia and Kensett, along with the community of Plainview.
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|7
|David H. Freppon
|Republican
|Bald Knob
|Eastern White County, including Bald Knob and Russel, along with the communities of Liberty Valley, Plainview, and Worden.
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|8
|Charles "Chuck" Lang
|Republican
|Georgetown
|Southern and southeastern White County, including Garner, Georgetown Griffithville, Higginson McRae, West Point, and southern portions of Searcy, along with the communities of Andrews, Gum Springs, Morning Sun, Vinity Corner, and Walker.
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|9
|Mike Cleveland
|Republican
|Searcy
|Central, south-central, and west-central White County, including southwestern portions of Searcy, along with the community of Gum Springs.
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|10
|Keith Carlisle
|Republican
|Searcy
|Central White County, including western portions of Searcy, along with the communities of Fourmile Hill and Smyrna.
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|11
|Nathan Lincoln
|Republican
|Searcy
|Central White County, including portions of downtown and northern Searcy, along with the communities of Bee Rock and Fourmile Hill.
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|12
|Joel "JP" Pritchett
|Republican
|Searcy
|Central White County, including portions of downtown, northern, and western Searcy.
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|13
|Kenneth Liles
|Republican
|Searcy
|Central White County, including portions of southern and eastern Searcy; district includes most of Harding University.
|}
Additionally, the townships of White 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=2025-03-29 |website=What is a Constable? |language=en}}</ref>

The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:<ref>{{Cite web |title=White County, Arkansas, elections, 2024 |url=https://ballotpedia.org/White_County,_Arkansas,_elections,_2024 |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=Ballotpedia |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-11-18 |title=Official results in White County for Nov. 5 general and nonpartisan runoff election |url=https://www.whitecountycitizen.com/news/official-results-in-white-county-for-nov-5-general-and-nonpartisan-runoff-election/article_ead8fa48-b160-592b-984c-356ccc8f8ef0.html |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=The Daily Citizen |language=en}}</ref>

* Big Creek: Jesse Pate (R)
* Cadron: Dusty Betts (R)
* Cypert: Brent Davis (R)
* Dogwood: Paul Barnett (R)
* Gray: Kim Pearson (R)
* Gum Springs: Kevin McCoy (R)
* Harrison: Greg Meharg (R)
* Liberty: Phillip Simpson (R)
* Union: Chris Ward (R)
{{PresHead|place=White County, Arkansas|source=<ref name="DL">{{cite web|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/|access-date=November 18, 2016}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|24,514|5,641|682|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|24,182|5,978|725|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|21,077|5,170|1,752|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|20,011|5,765|738|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|19,467|6,732|756|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|17,001|9,129|295|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|13,170|8,342|638|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|8,659|10,204|2,128|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|8,538|10,494|2,531|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|11,094|6,957|183|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|12,566|6,603|266|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1980|Democratic|8,079|8,750|484|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|4,756|11,412|0|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|8,701|4,161|79|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|3,887|3,198|5,054|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|5,023|6,566|95|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|3,985|5,244|605|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|3,813|4,895|42|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|2,884|4,179|7|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|833|3,193|599|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|1,346|2,532|0|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|876|3,345|24|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|535|2,503|7|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|430|3,251|24|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|1,957|2,299|23|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|679|1,488|285|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|1,359|2,086|148|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|673|2,823|0|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|380|1,448|689|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1908|Democratic|887|1,788|363|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1904|Democratic|676|1,238|239|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|811|1,694|175|Arkansas}}
{{PresFoot|1896|Democratic|559|2,876|25|Arkansas}}