Here's which Arkansas initiatives will be on the November ballot, and which won't
From expanding abortion rights to increasing accessibility to medical marijuana, here are the initiatives that tried to get on the November ballot.
Since 1910, Arkansans have been able to propose constitutional amendments, state laws, and veto referendums. In fact, Arkansas is one of 15 states where citizens can participate in the political process in all three ways.
Like every election since 1910, several citizens have put forth initiatives to be put on the 2024 November election ballot.
Although not every 2024 initiative has made it far, those whose language has been approved by Attorney General Tim Griffin have been in the process of collecting signatures ahead of the July 5 deadline.
Each amendment initiative needed to collect 90,704 signatures to qualify, while statutes must collect 72,563 signatures.
In addition to the statewide requirement, the groups must submit a minimum number of signatures from 50 of Arkansas' 75 counties. The minimum changed from 15 to 50 after Act 236 was passed by Arkansas lawmakers in 2023.
With this in mind, many initiative sponsors have mobilized people all across the state to collect signatures before the July 5 deadline.
From expanding abortion rights to increasing accessibility to medical marijuana, here is an update on where each initiative stands ahead of November voting.
Successful Initiatives These proposed amendments will be on the ballot
Allowing State Lottery Proceeds to Fund Scholarships
Issue 1 is identified by the popular name "Allowing State Lottery Proceeds to Fund Vocational or Technical School Scholarships for Arkansans." This was the first ballot item to be submitted and qualified for the November election.
This ballot was not a citizen-led initiative. Instead, it was approved by Arkansas lawmakers as the state Constitution allows the legislator to add up to three amendments to the general election ballot.
If passed, this amendment would allow "lottery proceeds" to go toward scholarships and grants to Arkansans enrolled in colleges or universities (two or four years), a vocational-technical school, or a technical institute. These schools can be either private or public.
For the complete text of the ballot issue, click here.
Marijuana Amendment
On July 5, the group Arkansans for Patient Access (APA) campaign announced the submission of over 111,000 petition signatures, spanning 62 counties in the state.
If passed, the amendment would expand Arkansans' access to medical marijuana by allowing more healthcare professionals to prescribe the drug.
Healthcare professionals include:
- Medical and osteopathic doctors
- Nurse practitioners
- Physicians' assistants
- Pharmacists
The measure would also expand the conditions treated by weed. Qualifying medical conditions included in Amendment 98 of 2016 will remain, but the measure would add any condition that a "health care practitioner considers debilitating to a patient that might be alleviated by the use of usable marijuana."
Under the measure, access to medical marijuana cards would be expanded to non-Arkansas residents. It would also extend the expiration date of these cards from one year to three years. For those with existing cards, two years of use would be added.
The measure seeks to amend Article 5 to ensure no constitutional amendment would be amended or repealed by the legislature "unless approved by the people" of Arkansas.
A trigger law is also included that if federal law ends up prohibiting marijuana use, Arkansas would still allow the purchase and possession of "usable marijuana" up to 1 ounce.
For the full opinion and proposed ballot amendment, click here.
Abortion Amendment
Arkansans For Limited Government (AFLG) said they submitted over 100,000 signatures. Of the 50-county requirement, AFLG reached the qualifying minimum for 53 counties.
Lauren Cowles, AFLG executive director, issued a statement where she confirmed that the group delivered over 100,000 signatures.
"Today, Arkansans for Limited Government will deliver more than 100,000 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office. By our count, we have exceeded the minimum signature threshold for both the statewide total and county totals," Cowles said in a statement on Friday. "The contents of this delivery should qualify the amendment for November’s ballot."
The Arkansas Abortion Amendment would prohibit the state from banning abortions within the first 18 weeks of pregnancy, or in the instance of rape, incest, or fatal fetal anomalies.
Instead of only allowing abortions to save the mother when medically necessary, the ballot would extend protection to pregnant women with a physical disorder, illness, or injury such as:
- Any life-endangering disorders, illnesses, or injuries caused by the pregnancy.
- Any situation where the pregnancy could pose a danger to cell growth or any of these systems:
- Respiratory
- Circulatory
- Endocrine
- Reproductive
- Nervous
For the full opinion and proposed ballot amendment, click here.
Pope County Casino Initiative
Local Voters in Charge announced that the group submitted 162,181 signatures to the office of Secretary of State John Thurston, putting Arkansas voters one step closer to having the final say on whether casinos can be built in their communities.
The proposed amendment would require a countywide special election before building any new casinos or issuing casino licenses in the state.
“In record numbers, the people of Arkansas have supported our campaign to give local voters the final say on whether a casino should be built in their town or not,” said Local Voters in Charge committee member Hans Stiritz.
Unsuccessful Initiatives
Government Transparency Amendment and Act
A collection of Arkansas transparency amendments was approved by Griffin on Jan. 24, but on July 5 the group confirmed on social media that they did not collect enough signatures to appear on the November ballot.
Arkansas Citizens for Transparency began submitting proposals to Griffin in September. Their goal was to see Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) laws protected by the state's constitution, as they're currently not in the constitution.
The AG rejected previous versions of the group's proposals because he said the language wasn't clear enough. After several rejections, the group sued Griffin in a suit that has since been dropped.
Education Amendment
Education reform coalition For AR Kids announced it had raised only about 70,000 of the 90,000 required signatures by the deadline, preventing it from appearing on the fall ballot.
Act to exempt tax on feminine hygiene products, diapers
The Arkansas Period Project missed its goal by 31,169 signatures, which means the act to exempt tax on feminine hygiene products and diapers won't be on the ballot.
Absentee Voting Amendment
According to Attorney Clinton Lancaster, the Arkansas Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit asking the court to certify two ballot measures for the November election, including the Absentee Voting Procedures Amendment, on May 30.
Under a lengthy ballot title, the previously proposed amendment would have "set the time for absentee voting, create absentee voting procedures, determine the manner in which absentee ballots are counted or tabulated, and ensure that elections cannot be conducted in this state using an internet, Bluetooth, or wireless connection."
The measure sought to only allow absentee ballots to be distributed within 30 days before election day, requiring the county clerks to distribute them to only requesting and qualified voters.
Supporters of the ballot initiative filed the original jurisdiction complaint against Secretary of State John Thurston and the State Board Election Commissioners on Jan. 9. Griffin certified the ballot title on Jan. 11.
Lancaster provided the following statement:
"The Arkansas Supreme Court dismissed our original jurisdiction case. That left us without any approved ballot measures to run. The court indicated that any challenges to the process had to be in circuit court. The court did invite us to collect signatures and take our chances that we will prevail down the road, but that is an expensive endeavor and one we were not willing to risk, especially given how much we had invested in the lawsuit."
Antique License Plate Act
According to David Dinwiddie, the sponsor of The Arkansas Historic or Special Interest Vehicle Act of 2024, the initiative will not make it onto the November ballot.
"It looks like it's not going to be on the ballot because I was unable to raise money to operate the project," Dinwiddie said. "On the bright side, we have a ballot initiative that can be approved again in 2026."
This bill would have changed the year model requirement to get antique tags for a vehicle in Arkansas from a minimum of 45 years to a minimum of 25 years.
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