Planned Parenthood Makes Additional Endorsement for Arkansas House

Elections, , , ,

Planned Parenthood has chosen to endorse Teresa Dannaway (D) for Arkansas House District 83, according to its website.

Planned Parenthood also recently endorsed Cortney McKee (D) for Arkansas House District 85.

Planned Parenthood is the nation’s largest abortion provider and a major proponent of transgender ideology. The organization has a history of endorsing and donating to candidates who share its values.

For example, in 2020 Planned Parenthood Federation announced it would spend at least $45 million in an effort to unseat pro-life lawmakers and elect pro-abortion candidates.

As part of that plan, the group used its political action committee in Arkansas to support several candidates for state and federal office.

However, since then, the abortion giant has been relatively quiet in Arkansas.

Early voting in Arkansas begins Monday, October 21, and Election Day is Tuesday, November 5.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

READ MORE

Here is an Expanded Overviews of Arkansas’ 2024 Ballot Issues

Elections,

The following has been adapted from Family Council’s 2024 Arkansas Voter’s Guide.

Issue 1: Arkansas Lottery Proceed Funding for Vocational-Technical School Scholarships and Grants Amendment.

Issue 1 is a proposed amendment to the Arkansas Constitution that the Arkansas Legislature voted to place on the ballot. Issue 1 would change the Arkansas Constitution to let proceeds from the Arkansas Lottery fund scholarships and grants for vocational-technical schools and technical institutes. As of September 15, no campaigns have formed to support or oppose Issue 1.

Issue 2: An Amendment Requiring Local Voter Approval in a Countywide Special Election for Certain New Casino Licenses and Repealing Authority to Issue a Casino License in Pope County, Arkansas.

Issue 2 is a proposed amendment to the Arkansas Constitution that the group Local Voters in Charge placed on the ballot by circulating petitions via Arkansas’ initiative process. The Arkansas Constitution currently authorizes casinos in Garland County, Jefferson County, Crittenden County, and Pope County. This group of local citizens is trying to remove Pope County from the list of locations where casino gaming is allowed. Under Issue 2, the State of Arkansas would be unable to authorize a casino in any community without a new constitutional amendment and without local voter approval at a special election.

As of September 15, state campaign ethics reports show Local Voters in Charge received $5.6 million from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma in support of Issue 2.

Issue 2 is opposed by the Arkansas Canvassing Compliance Committee and by the group Investing in Arkansas. As of September 15, state campaign ethics reports show the efforts to defeat Issue 2 have received $2.8 million from the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma.

Issue 3: Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2024.

Issue 3 is a proposed amendment to the Arkansas Constitution that the group Arkansans for Patient Access placed on the ballot by circulating petitions via Arkansas’ initiative process. Issue 3 would expand access to marijuana by making more than 30 changes to the Arkansas Constitution. 

Currently, the Arkansas Constitution permits medical marijuana use for specific medical conditions listed in state law. Patients can pay $50 to purchase a medical marijuana card if a doctor examines and certifies them to use medical marijuana. Issue 3 would let a doctor, pharmacist, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant certify a person to use marijuana for any reason without a medical exam. Issue 3 would eliminate the $50 annual fee for marijuana cards, meaning cards would be provided for free at taxpayer expense. The amendment would give free marijuana cards to out-of-state users and illegal immigrants who come to Arkansas. Issue 3 also would let people grow and process up to fourteen marijuana plants at home. 

Currently, Arkansas law strictly regulates marijuana advertising, and it contains restrictions on marketing and products that may appeal to children. Issue 3 would repeal current laws that prohibit marijuana advertising, and it would repeal childproof packaging and labeling standards for marijuana. The amendment prohibits any additional regulation or taxation of marijuana by the Arkansas Legislature and by city and county governments. Issue 3 also guarantees existing marijuana businesses a monopoly over marijuana in Arkansas by limiting the number of licenses available to grow and sell marijuana.

Besides changing Arkansas’ medical marijuana laws, Issue 3 also changes Article 5, Section 1, of the Arkansas Constitution concerning ballot initiatives, constitutional amendments, and referenda. Currently, the constitution gives the Arkansas Legislature the authority to change Arkansas’ medical marijuana amendment. Issue 3 would take this ability away and prevent the Arkansas Legislature from ever changing any state constitutional amendment. 

As of September 15, state campaign ethics reports show Arkansans for Patient Access has received more than $1.9 million in support of Issue 3. Most of that money came from members of Arkansas’ marijuana industry, and most of it was used to hire canvassers to gather enough petition signatures to place the amendment on the ballot.

Issue 3 is opposed by Stronger Arkansas, Family Council Action Committee, and Protect Arkansas Kids. As of September 15, state campaign ethics reports show these three campaigns collectively have received more than $700,000 total from different individuals and organizations to defeat Issue 3.

READ MORE

Future of Ballot Measures Remains Uncertain as 2024 Election Milestone Arrives

Elections, , , , , , ,

The future of three ballot proposals remains unclear as Arkansas reaches one of its milestones deadline ahead of the 2024 elections.

Thursday, August 22, is the deadline for the Secretary of State to certify ballot measures to the counties for inclusion on the ballot for the November 2024 General Election.

The certification lets each of Arkansas’ 75 counties know which initiatives will appear on the General Election Ballot.

However, three ballot proposals are still up in the air. Below is a brief summary of each measure and a little information about where the measure stands.

Measure #1: The Casino Amendment

Local Voters in Charge is backing a measure that would repeal the Racing Commission’s authority to issue a casino license without local voter approval in a countywide election. On July 5 the group submitted petition signatures to place the amendment on the ballot, and the Arkansas Secretary of State subsequently certified the measure for the ballot.

However, the measure has been challenged in court, and it is unclear if the Arkansas Supreme Court will let it remain on the ballot.

Measure #2: The Marijuana Amendment

Arkansans for Patient Access is promoting the Arkan­sas Med­ical Marijuana Amend­ment of 2024. The measure rewrites much of the “medical” marijuana amendment that Arkansas enacted in 2016. The measure would let people use “medical” marijuana without suffering from a specific medical condition listed in state law.

The amendment would repeal state laws and regulations that protect children from marijuana marketing, and it would give free marijuana cards to immigrants and people from out of state who travel to Arkansas to use marijuana. It also fails to limit the amount of THC that marijuana products can contain.

Arkansans for Patient Access submitted petition signatures to place its marijuana amendment on the ballot last month. Placing an initiative on the ballot requires 90,704 valid signatures from registered voters.

On July 31 the Secretary of State determined the group did not have enough signatures to make the ballot, but had submitted enough to qualify for a 30-day extension to collect additional petition signatures.

The group is expected to submit additional petition signatures next week.

Measure #3: The Abortion Amendment

Arkansans for Limited Government is pushing to place the Arkansas Abortion Amendment on the November ballot.

If passed, the measure would write abortion into the state constitution.

The Arkansas Abortion Amendment would prevent the State of Arkansas from restricting abortion during the first five months of pregnancy — which is more extreme than Roe v. Wade and would allow thousands of elective abortions on healthy women and unborn children every year.

The measure would automatically nullify all state laws that conflict with the amendment — jeopardizing basic abortion regulations like parental-consent and informed-consent requirements and paving the way for taxpayer-funded abortion in Arkansas.

The amendment does not contain any medical licensing or health and safety standards for abortion, and it does not require abortions to be performed by a physician or in a licensed medical facility.

The measure also contains various exceptions that would permit abortion up to birth in many cases.

Last month, Arkansans for Limited Government submitted petition signatures to place the Arkansas Abortion Amendment on the ballot. Bringing the amendment up for a vote would require at least 90,704 valid signatures from registered voters.

However, Secretary of State John Thurston disqualified every petition filed to place the abortion measure on the ballot, because the sponsors failed to provide affidavits that state law requires concerning paid petition canvassers.

By law, ballot initiative sponsors must file a statement confirming that each paid canvasser was given a copy of the state’s initiative and referenda handbook as well as an explanation of relevant state laws before he or she solicited petition signatures. The sponsors backing the abortion measure failed to file this specific documentation when they submitted the petitions for the abortion amendment. That prompted the Secretary of State to reject all of the petitions.

Arkansans for Limited Government subsequently filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Thurston. The case is currently pending before the state supreme court.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

READ MORE