Several Bills in Play to Strengthen Arkansas’ Initiative Process

Several good bills that would strengthen Arkansas’ ballot initiative process are working their way through the state legislature.

Arkansas’ ballot initiative process has become the opposite of what it was intended to be. Its original intent was to provide citizens a means of functioning as a “legislative body.” But today, powerful special interests have used our own ballot initiative process against us.

Pro-life leaders gave committee testimony last week alleging that canvassers for the 2024 Arkansas Abortion Amendment violated state law and were paid $500 bonuses for “altercations” with pro-lifers who opposed the abortion amendment.

If the Arkansas Legislature does not enact good laws that bring accountability and transparency to the ballot initiation process, these problems will simply continue to get worse.

Below is a rundown of some of the good bills lawmakers are considering to bring greater accountability to the ballot initiative process.

H.B. 1221 by Rep. David Ray (R — Maumelle) and Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) clarifies Arkansas’ laws concerning initiatives and referenda. The bill makes it clear that petition signatures expire at the end of a General Election cycle. This would prevent canvassers from collecting signatures across multiple election cycles and help ensure sponsors don’t submit old signatures that are outdated or more likely to be invalid. The bill has passed the Arkansas House and the Senate State Agencies Committee. It is slated to go before the entire Arkansas Senate for a final vote. See How Your Representative Voted Here. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1222 by Rep. David Ray (R — Maumelle) and Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) clarifies Arkansas’ laws concerning initiatives and referenda. The bill says the Arkansas Attorney General cannot approve a measure’s sponsors to begin collecting signatures to place a measure on the ballot if the measure conflicts with the U.S. Constitution or federal law. The bill also prevents sponsors from asking the attorney general to certify conflicting measures. The bill has passed the Arkansas House and the Senate State Agencies Committee. It is slated to go before the entire Arkansas Senate for a final vote.  See How Your Representative Voted Here. Read The Bill Here.

S.B. 207 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) and Rep. Kendon Underwood (R — Cave Springs) requires petition canvassers to inform people that petition fraud is a crime before obtaining their signatures on a petition. The bill has passed the Arkansas Senate, and it is slated to go before the House State Agencies Committee next. See How Your Senator Voted Here. Read The Bill Here.

S.B. 208 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) and Rep. Kendon Underwood (R — Cave Springs) requires canvassers to verify a person’s identity via photo ID before obtaining the person’s signature on a petition. This helps prevent people from fraudulently signing someone else’s name on a petition. The bill has passed the Arkansas Senate, and it is slated to go before the House State Agencies Committee next. See How Your Senator Voted Here. Read The Bill Here.

S.B. 209 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) and Rep. Kendon Underwood (R — Cave Springs) clarifies that the signatures a canvasser collects will not count if the Secretary of State finds the canvasser has violated Arkansas’ laws concerning canvassing, perjury, forgery, or fraud in the process of gathering signatures. The bill has initially passed the Arkansas Senate, but its sponsor is working to garner enough votes to adopt the bill’s emergency clause as well. See How Your Senator Voted Here. Read The Bill Here.

S.B. 210 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) and Rep. Kendon Underwood (R — Cave Springs) requires people to read the ballot title of the measure before signing a petition. The ballot title includes a summary of the ballot measure. Reading the ballot title helps ensure people understand the measure before they sign a petition to place the measure on the ballot. The bill has initially passed the Arkansas Senate, but its sponsor is working to garner enough votes to adopt the bill’s emergency clause as well. See How Your Senator Voted Here. Read The Bill Here.

S.B. 211 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) and Rep. Kendon Underwood (R — Cave Springs) requires petition canvassers to file an affidavit with the Secretary of State verifying that the canvasser complied with the Arkansas Constitution and all Arkansas laws concerning canvassing, perjury, forgery, and fraud in the process of gathering signatures. The bill has passed the Arkansas Senate, and it is slated to go before the House State Agencies Committee next. See How Your Senator Voted Here. Read The Bill Here.

S.B. 212 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) and Rep. Kendon Underwood (R — Cave Springs) creates the Document Validity Division within the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office to investigate, subpoena, and nullify fraudulent or false documents related to ballot initiatives. The bill is still in the Senate State Agencies Committee. Read The Bill Here.