Joyce Elliott

Joyce Ann Elliott (born March 20, 1951) is an American politician from the state of Arkansas. Since 2009, she has been a member of the Arkansas Senate representing the 31st district, which consists of portions of Little Rock and Pulaski County. She was previously a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives, serving from 2001 to 2007. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Joyce Elliott
Member of the Arkansas Senate from the 31st district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 12, 2009
Preceded by	Irma Hunter Brown
Majority Leader of the Arkansas Senate
In office January 12, 2009 – January 10, 2011
Preceded by	Tracy Steele
Succeeded by	Robert F. Thompson
Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives
In office January 8, 2001 – January 13, 2007
Preceded by	Michael Booker
Succeeded by	Fred Allen
Constituency	56th district (2001–03) 33rd district (2003–07)
Personal details
Born	March 20, 1951 Willisville, Arkansas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	Southern Arkansas University (BA) Ouachita Baptist University (MA)
Website	https://www.joyceelliott.com/

Elliott was the Democratic nominee in the 2020 election for Arkansas's 2nd congressional district, losing in the general election to incumbent Representative French Hill on November 3, 2020.[1] If elected, she would have been the only Black representative from Arkansas ever elected to Congress.[2][3]

Early life and career

Joyce Ann Elliott was born on March 20, 1951, in Willisville, Arkansas. Elliott was the second person of color to graduate from her recently integrated high school; the first was her older sister.[3]

Elliott attended Southern Arkansas University where she earned a B.A. in English and speech. She attended Ouachita Baptist University where she earned an M.A. in English.[4]

Elliott taught at Joe T. Robinson High School for 30 years.

State legislature

Elliott served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 2000 to 2006. In 2008, she was elected to the Arkansas State Senate, where she represents the 31st district.[5]

Elliott began working on hate crime legislation in 2001 during her first term in office. Arkansas is one of three states without a statute criminalizing various types of bias-motivated violence or intimidation.[6][7]

As of 2020, she is the chair of the Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus.[8]

Elections

2000 election

2000 Arkansas State Representative District 56 Election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic	Joyce Elliott	5,556	83
Republican	Herbert L. Broadway	1,104	17
Total Votes:		6,660	100

2010 election

Elliott ran against Republican nominee Timothy Griffin for the seat of retiring Democratic incumbent Vic Snyder who retired. In the general election, Elliott lost to Griffin.

2010 Arkansas's 2nd Congressional District Election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	Tim Griffin	122,091	57.9
Democratic	Joyce Elliott	80,687	38.27
Green	Lewis Kennedy	3,599	1.71
Independent	Lance Levi	4,421	2.10
	Write-Ins	54	0.03
Total Votes:		210,852	100

2020 election

Elliott announced her candidacy for the U.S. House in Arkansas's 2nd congressional district on November 12, 2019, against Republican incumbent French Hill.

2020 Arkansas 2nd Congressional District Election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	French Hill	182,248	55.65
Democratic	Joyce Elliot	145,225	44.35
Total Votes:		327,503	100

References

1. Max Brantley (November 4, 2020). "Joyce Elliott concedes, but calls for restoration of trust and counting of outstanding absentee votes". Arkansas Times.
2. "Black-American Members by State and Territory, 1870–Present | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
3. "Record number of Black women set to run for U.S. Congress". Reuters. July 29, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
4. "About Joyce Elliott". www.joyceelliott.com. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
5. "Joyce Elliott". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
6. Valentine, Brittany (August 21, 2020). "Arkansas has a potential anti-hate crime bill in the works". Al Dia News Media. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
7. "Arkansas introduces hate crime legislation backed by governor, attorney general". ABC 7. August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
8. Millar, Lindsey (February 5, 2020). "Legislative black caucus, Democratic Party address harassment and threats to Flowers, Davis". Arkansas Times. Retrieved August 23, 2020.

External links

• Senator Joyce Elliott (D) official Arkansas Senate website
• Joyce Elliott for Congress official campaign site

• Profile at Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Appearances on C-SPAN