---
type: "Bill"
title: "TO AMEND THE METHOD OF VOTING ABSENTEE; AND TO PROHIBIT THE USE OF ABSENTEE BALLOT DROP BOXES."
description: "TO AMEND THE METHOD OF VOTING ABSENTEE; AND TO PROHIBIT THE USE OF ABSENTEE BALLOT DROP BOXES."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ar"
legislature: "Arkansas Legislature"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 258"
citation: "Arkansas SB 258 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Burkes", "Dees"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 24
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2023-02-13T20:19:38+00:00"
last_action: "2023-03-24T16:18:21+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/79041c6d-4aef-4b8d-bfe7-261f2a744182"
source_url: "ftp://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/SessionInformation/LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "f310ec82755ef873306918fad7dbc79ee88adf02e458c1b3ce724bf8e9d30a47"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ar"]
---

# Arkansas SB 258 (2023) — TO AMEND THE METHOD OF VOTING ABSENTEE; AND TO PROHIBIT THE USE OF ABSENTEE BALLOT DROP BOXES.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Act 353** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2023R%2FPublic%2F&file=353.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2023%2F2023R)
2. **Amendment H1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB258-H1.pdf)
3. **SB 258** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2023/2023R/Bills/SB258.pdf)

## Votes

- Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. — **80–16** (pass) · lower
- Read the third time and passed. — **29–6** (pass) · upper
- Read the third time and passed. — **28–6** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Burkes — primary (person)
- Dees — primary (person)
- Achor — cosponsor (person)
- Andrews — cosponsor (person)
- B. McKenzie — cosponsor (person)
- Barker — cosponsor (person)
- Beaty Jr. — cosponsor (person)
- Beck — cosponsor (person)
- Bentley — cosponsor (person)
- Breaux — cosponsor (person)
- Brooks — cosponsor (person)
- C. Cooper — cosponsor (person)
- C. Fite — cosponsor (person)
- Cozart — cosponsor (person)
- Evans — cosponsor (person)
- Fortner — cosponsor (person)
- Furman — cosponsor (person)
- Gazaway — cosponsor (person)
- Gonzales — cosponsor (person)
- Gramlich — cosponsor (person)
- Haak — cosponsor (person)
- Hawk — cosponsor (person)
- Hollowell — cosponsor (person)
- J. Petty — cosponsor (person)
- Jean — cosponsor (person)
- Joey Carr — cosponsor (person)
- K. Brown — cosponsor (person)
- K. Hammer — cosponsor (person)
- K. Moore — cosponsor (person)
- L. Fite — cosponsor (person)
- Ladyman — cosponsor (person)
- Long — cosponsor (person)
- Lundstrum — cosponsor (person)
- Lynch — cosponsor (person)
- M. Berry — cosponsor (person)
- M. Brown — cosponsor (person)
- M. McElroy — cosponsor (person)
- M. McKee — cosponsor (person)
- McAlindon — cosponsor (person)
- McClure — cosponsor (person)
- McCollum — cosponsor (person)
- McGrew — cosponsor (person)
- McNair — cosponsor (person)
- Miller — cosponsor (person)
- Milligan — cosponsor (person)
- Painter — cosponsor (person)
- Pearce — cosponsor (person)
- Pilkington — cosponsor (person)
- Puryear — cosponsor (person)
- R. Scott Richardson — cosponsor (person)
- Richmond — cosponsor (person)
- Rose — cosponsor (person)
- Rye — cosponsor (person)
- S. Meeks — cosponsor (person)
- Schulz — cosponsor (person)
- Steimel — cosponsor (person)
- Stone — cosponsor (person)
- Tosh — cosponsor (person)
- Underwood — cosponsor (person)
- Vaught — cosponsor (person)
- Wing — cosponsor (person)
- Womack — cosponsor (person)
- Wooldridge — cosponsor (person)
- Wooten — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2023-02-13T20:19:38+00:00** Filed `introduction`
- **2023-02-13T21:22:42+00:00** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2023-02-16T17:30:58+00:00** Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-02-20T19:43:09+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-02-20T19:43:15+00:00** Ordered immediately transmitted to the House.
- **2023-02-20T20:56:31+00:00** RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
- **2023-02-20T23:30:02+00:00** Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS- HOUSE `reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2023-03-08T18:25:49+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it do pass as amended 1 `committee-passage`
- **2023-03-09T14:31:18+00:00** Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment.
- **2023-03-09T14:31:21+00:00** Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage`
- **2023-03-09T16:20:15+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2023-03-13T19:35:30+00:00** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-03-13T19:35:42+00:00** Returned To Senate as passed, as amended # 1
- **2023-03-13T21:58:25+00:00** Returned From the House as passed, as amended # 1
- **2023-03-13T21:58:32+00:00** Re-referred to STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-14T22:25:02+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass concur in House Amendment No. 1 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-15T18:58:13+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2023-03-15T18:58:20+00:00** House Amendment No. 1 read first time, rule suspended, read second time and concurred in.
- **2023-03-15T18:58:26+00:00** Rules suspended.
- **2023-03-15T18:58:45+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-03-15T18:58:49+00:00** ORDERED ENROLLED
- **2023-03-16T13:53:43+00:00** Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
- **2023-03-16T13:53:46+00:00** DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-24T16:18:21+00:00** Notification that SB258 is now Act 353 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/79041c6d-4aef-4b8d-bfe7-261f2a744182`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).