Read Arkansas’ Political Party Platforms

capitol3-1We write regularly about the importance of voter education. It is not enough for people simply to vote; people must vote wisely.

Candidates for President are already making plenty of headlines. In Arkansas, candidates will file for office in less than two weeks. As the 2016 election season approaches, we wanted to take a moment to talk about an often-overlooked resource: party platforms.

Arkansas currently has four registered political parties, according the Secretary of State’s website:

  • The Democratic Party of Arkansas
  • The Green Party of Arkansas
  • The Libertarian Party of Arkansas
  • The Republican Party of Arkansas

Each political party has a platform–a set of beliefs to which it holds. While not every candidate adheres 100% to his or her party’s platform, party platforms are an excellent way voters can understand a little more about the kinds of candidates who run for office.

Below is the preamble of each party’s platform and a link to the entire platform. I strongly encourage you to read each party’s platform; it may help you decide which party or candidate most closely aligns with your values. (more…)

Fayetteville Looking to Meddle With Local Petition Process

According to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Fayetteville City Attorney has proposed a change to the city’s code governing local option petitions.

The proposal comes on the heels of a vote last month that repealed the city’s contentious “nondiscrimination” ordinance. Local residents were able to repeal the ordinance because state law and Fayetteville City Code allow voters to circulate petitions calling for a special election to keep or repeal any ordinance passed by the city council.

But now the attorney for the City of Fayetteville is proposing a change to the way that local petition process works.

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Photos from the Capitol Building Yesterday

Between the budget session, candidate filing, and a TeenPact gathering, a lot went on at the Arkansas Capitol Building yesterday. Below are a few photos just to give you an idea of the day’s events.

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TeenPact is meeting this week at the State Capitol. Their leadership group paused for lunch in the Capitol Café. About 40 home schoolers are attending this year’s week-long seminar at the Capitol. This prestigious national program teaches home schoolers about the inner workings of government.

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