Ward 2 Race Heads Toward Possible Runoff
Marvin Benton leads four candidates in North Little Rock's open council seat, but outstanding ballots still have to be counted.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections
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In the North Little Rock Ward 2 council election, Marvin Benton leads with 1,672 votes (48.86%), ahead of Anna Beth Gorman with 935 votes (27.32%). Because no candidate has reached a majority, the race may go to a runoff once outstanding ballots are counted.
Why it matters
State law requires a runoff when no candidate in a multi-candidate race wins a majority, so the outcome could be decided in a second election in December. Residents of North Little Rock will know who represents Ward 2 only after the remaining ballots are tallied.
The unofficial tally shows Benton at 48.86%, just short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff, with 1,250 or more ballots still pending across absentee, provisional and military categories. The final result remains unresolved until those ballots are counted.
The players
Marvin Benton
Benton, 68, leads the Ward 2 race and previously worked in Little Rock for roughly 40 years before running for council.
Anna Beth Gorman
Gorman, 44, is the second-place candidate in the Ward 2 race and would face Benton in a runoff if no majority is reached.
The details
Four candidates ran for the open Ward 2 seat that Linda Robinson is leaving after 24 years. Election officials are still counting outstanding ballots, and if no candidate wins a majority, the top two will face off in a runoff on Dec. 1.
Timeline
Nov. 4, 2026: Ward 2 election held; counting of outstanding ballots continues.
Nov. 13, 2026: Deadline to receive outstanding ballots.
Dec. 1, 2026: Scheduled runoff date if a runoff is required.
Political Context
Under Arkansas law, a multi-candidate race that fails to produce a majority winner moves to a runoff, a rule that can extend local races by several weeks. In North Little Rock's Ward 2, that rule means the seat may not be filled until December.
Ward 2 residents will not know their next council representative until the remaining ballots are counted. If a runoff is needed, the seat stays unsettled through December.
The takeaway
Close local races can take weeks to resolve, so checking official county results after provisional and absentee ballots are counted gives the most accurate picture. Voters in North Little Rock should watch for the Nov. 13 ballot deadline and the possible Dec. 1 runoff.
What happens next
Outstanding ballots must be received by Nov. 13, 2026, and a Dec. 1, 2026 runoff would be held if no candidate wins a majority.
Further reading
For more on how local races are decided, see Elections coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by ArkansasOnline.
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