Ballot Battles: Lawsuit Targets Arkansas Election Safeguards
On Thursday, two liberal groups filed a motion in court asking U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks to block anti-fraud safeguards the Arkansas Legislature has enacted regarding the ballot initiative process.
The groups For AR Kids and Protect AR Rights filed the motion challenging the following laws:
- Act 218 of 2025 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) and Rep. Kendon Underwood (R — Cave Springs) requiring canvassers to inform people that petition fraud is a crime before obtaining their signatures on a petition.
- Act 240 of 2025 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) and Rep. Kendon Underwood (R — Cave Springs) requiring canvassers to verify a person’s identity via photo ID before obtaining the person’s signature to help prevent people from fraudulently signing someone else’s name.
- Act 602 of 2025 by Rep. Ryan Rose (R — Van Buren) and Sen. Mark Johnson (R — Little Rock) requiring ballot initiative titles to be written at or below an eighth-grade reading level. A ballot title is supposed to accurately summarize a measure so voters can decide if they support or oppose it.
The groups are also opposing an anti-fraud law that requires paid canvassers to be registered with the state and a law requiring petition signatures to be collected from two-thirds of Arkansas’ counties in order for a measure to be placed on the ballot.
The lawsuit claims these laws make it too difficult to place constitutional amendments and initiated acts on the ballot.
We have said time and again that the Arkansas Constitution is for sale — and it’s cheap.
The ballot initiative process that lets canvassers circulate petitions to place measures on a general election ballot has become the opposite of what it was intended to be.
Instead of giving citizens a way to function as a “legislative body,” special interests have hired people to circulate petitions to place misleading, deceptive, and poorly written measures on the ballot in Arkansas.
Earlier this year, Arkansans testified before lawmakers about petition canvassers allegedly trying to provoke altercations and encouraging people to sign petitions multiple times.
Arkansas’ lawmakers have enacted good measures to safeguard the ballot initiative process. Now those safeguards are being challenged.
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office is defending these good laws. We believe our federal courts ultimately will uphold them as constitutional.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
