How citizens change Arkansas' laws
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Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
Voters could have a profound impact on the state's laws this November, depending on how many proposed issues make it on the ballot.
- We're looking at the many questions that may be put to referendum.
Why it matters: Arkansas voters can change or reject laws enacted by the state Legislature through a citizen-initiated ballot process.
Any measure that makes it on the ballot allows residents to speak out with a vote this fall.
State of play: Attorney General Tim Griffin's office approved 14 separate initiatives on topics ranging from medical marijuana to overturning the LEARNS education act — from cutting taxes on feminine-hygiene products to the state's freedom of information law.
- Not all of those will appear on the ballot.
How it works: Arkansas citizens can propose a ballot initiative as a state statute (a change to a law) or a constitutional amendment (a more significant change to the state's constitution).
- They also may repeal legislation with a veto referendum.
- State lawmakers also can place measures on the ballot as legislatively referred state statutes or constitutional amendments.
The state AG must review and approve the popular name and ballot title for each citizen-initiated statute or amendment for it to move forward.
- Once the language has been approved, which can take several attempts, citizens can begin the petition process.
Signature requirements vary for each of the three forms of citizen-initiated proposals, based on a percentage of the votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election.
- State statute changes require 8% (72,563 signatures); constitutional amendments require 10% (90,704); and veto referendums require 6% (54,422).
- This year, signatures need to be collected by July 5 to get an issue on the ballot.
The fine print: Numbers alone aren't enough. A new law requires signatures to be collected from registered voters in at least 50 of the state's 75 counties, up from the previously required 15.
- A complaint seeking to overturn the law was filed last year, but it may not be resolved in time to affect this year's process.
The bottom line: Just over 50% of registered Arkansas voters turned out in the midterm elections.
Our thought bubble: As the saying goes — you can't complain if you don't vote.
Go deeper: Tampons to autos — four proposed ballot measures in Arkansas