Latest news with #ArkansasLeagueofWomenVoters
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Protect AR Rights ballot title to overturn recent ballot title laws rejected
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Protect AR Rights' first ballot title submission to the Arkansas attorney general was rejected on Monday. The group has stated that the submission is intended to place before voters the chance to overturn ballot initiative laws passed during the most recent general assembly. Citing concerns about security, the legislature passed multiple laws tightening the requirements for ballot referendums to be accepted, including increased restrictions on signature gathering and referendum language. Arkansas bill aims to let attorney general determine constitutionality of ballot initiatives One of those laws requiring ballot titles to be at no more than an eighth-grade reading level was the primary reason Attorney General Tim Griffin rejected the Protect AR Rights submission. 'I must reject your popular name and ballot title because the ballot title does not comply with Act 602 of 2025,' Griffin wrote in his opinion. 'As explained above, Act 602 prohibits me from certifying ballot titles that are above an eighth-grade reading level under the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level formula. The ballot title you have submitted ranks at grade 11.5. Thus, your ballot title requires significant revisions before it complies with the Act.' The attorney general also cited ambiguity in two parts of the ballot title's language. Attorney general approves Arkansas League of Women Voters, Save AR Democracy ballot title for referendum roll-back A statement from Protect AR Rights said the group expected its first submission to be rejected. 'We're not surprised by today's decision from the Attorney General because it's rare for a ballot measure to be approved on the first try,' the statement read.' This is simply the first step in a long process, and our coalition remains fully committed to protecting the rights of Arkansans to shape their own laws.' The group also classified the reading requirement as being 'passed by politicians trying to limit access to the ballot' and a 'serious barrier to a fundamental right.' Protect AR Rights has its policy position on its website. Arkansas coalition speaks on proposed ballot measure process amendment Griffin recently approved a ballot initiative with similar intent for the Arkansas League of Women Voters. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Attorney general approves Arkansas League of Women Voters, Save AR Democracy ballot title for referendum roll-back
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansas attorney general approved a ballot title on Wednesday that could change the way citizens bring issues to the ballot for voters to decide. This was the third ballot title submitted by the League of Women Voters of Arkansas to the attorney general. The league, along with the Save AR Democracy group, intends to ask voters whether access to the referendum process should be part of the Arkansas Constitution. Arkansas coalition submits proposed ballot initiative to overturn legislative changes to referendum law Attorney General Tim Griffin's opinion that accompanied the approval said the group's submission had appropriate language in the title, as compared to the previous submissions. The league president classified Wednesday's decision as a victory. 'This victory belongs to every Arkansan who believes in the power of the people to shape their own government,' League president Bonnie Miller said. 'Despite the challenges, we refused to give up because the right to direct democracy is worth fighting for.' Two additional groups ask to join Arkansas League of Women Voters suit against changes to referendum law Secretary of State Cole Jester's office says the next step in the process is to meet with someone from its elections division and start collecting their signatures to try to get enough valid signatures to get it on the ballot. By state law, the group will need to gather 90,704 signatures, amounting to 10% of the total number of votes cast for governor in the last election. The league has also filed a lawsuit against the referendum changes. The most recent legislative session created several laws that tightened access to the referendum process, including multiple laws on signature gathering and the reading level of the title. The group's second submission being above an eighth-grade reading level is what led to its rejection. This is the first ballot title approved under the new laws. A recent successful ballot initiative in Arkansas was an amendment repealing the Pope County casino's license. In the past, a 2018 initiative increased the state's minimum wage, and a 2016 initiative established an Arkansas medical marijuana program. Arkansas League of Women Voters speaks on lawsuit regarding changes voter referendum process Other ballot initiatives to increase access to marijuana failed in 2022 and 2024. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas coalition submits proposed ballot initiative to overturn legislative changes to referendum law
Video: Arkansas League of Women Voters speaks on lawsuit regarding changes voter referendum process LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A coalition of Arkansas community organizations announced Monday from the state capitol an effort to halt changes to the state's referendum process. A spokesperson said the group was submitting a ballot initiative to overturn legislation passed in the most recent session to increase restrictions on the referendum process. The spokesperson continued that if the initiative passes, it will make direct democracy an amendment to the state constitution. Arkansas League of Women Voters files federal suit, calls changes to voter referendum process 'Unconstitutional' The spokesperson said the law passed during the 95th General Assembly makes it nearly impossible for 'regular people' to have a say in issues. In contrast, legislators said election integrity was at stake. One issue is a law passed requiring ballot initiatives to be at an eighth-grade reading level or lower. The attorney general's office recently rejected a similar ballot submission by the Arkansas League of Women Voters because it was above the reading level requirement. Lawmakers seek to rein in citizen ballot initiatives with new requirements for petitions Other changes made during the recent session increase the requirements for signature gathering and canvasser requirements. The Protect AR Rigths coalition includes Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families, Arkansas Appleseed Legal Justice Center, Arkansas Citizens First Congress, Arkansas Public Policy Panel, For AR People, The Arkansas Education Association and NAACP Arkansas State Conference. Recent successful ballot initiatives in Arkansas were those allowing lottery proceeds to be used for vocational school scholarships and an amendment repealing the Pope County casino license. In the past, a 2018 initiative increased the state's minimum wage, and a 2016 initiative established an Arkansas medical marijuana program. ACLU representing two groups hoping to join Arkansas ballot bill lawsuit Other ballot initiatives to increase access to marijuana failed in 2022 and 2024. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ACLU representing two groups hoping to join Arkansas ballot bill lawsuit
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – New laws in Arkansas dealing with the direct democracy process are facing legal pushback. The League of Women Voters of Arkansas has filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Cole Jester, and now the ACLU of Arkansas, representing For AR Kids and Protect AR Rights, wants to join the suit. John Williams is the Legal Director for the ACLU of Arkansas. 'That's just a motion saying we have a similar interest in the lawsuit that the League of Women Voters does, asking the judge to allow us to participate in the lawsuit, rather than filing our own because we have similar claims,' Williams said. Arkansas League of Women Voters speaks on lawsuit regarding changes voter referendum process The ACLU argues that the new laws infringe on First Amendment rights. Some of the challenged laws include requiring canvassers to verify the IDs of petition signers, placing restrictions on who can canvass, and mandating that ballot initiatives be written at an eighth-grade reading level or lower. The attorney general recently denied ballot language submitted by the League due to this law. Williams says one of their clients are concerned as they pursue their own ballot measure. 'It's sort of an artificial way to judge the ballot title and it makes it more difficult to get anything on the ballot,' he said. Supporters of the laws say they are constitutional and help prevent fraud. In a statement, Secretary of State Cole Jester said, 'We are proud to defend these common sense laws. I have promised from day one to protect Arkansas's electoral processes, and we will always fight to do so. I am thankful to have Attorney General Tim Griffin's excellent representation.' Two additional groups ask to join Arkansas League of Women Voters suit against changes to referendum law Williams said the parties have two weeks to look over the motion. Both of his clients, For AR Kids, and Protect AR Rights, are at different stages of the process. 'We're saying that we think it's an infringement on First Amendment rights of the folks who are trying to bring these petitions and that we're going to stand up for those First Amendment rights,' Williams said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Two additional groups ask to join Arkansas League of Women Voters suit against changes to referendum law
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Two additional groups filed in federal court on Thursday to join the Arkansas League of Women Voters lawsuit against recent changes to the election referendum law. The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas filed the motion to intervene. It asked the court to allow Protect AR Rights and For AR Kids to challenge the changes to the referendum law made during the 95th General Assembly of the Arkansas legislature. Arkansas League of Women Voters files federal suit, calls changes to voter referendum process 'Unconstitutional' Arkansas law allows voter referendums to appear on the ballot if certain steps are taken. In the recent past, the referendum process has allowed voters to raise the state minimum wage and permit access to medical marijuana. In the most recent legislative session, multiple bills were passed to make those steps more difficult to accomplish. Some of the recently passed provisions being challenged in the suit are: A requirement that citizen initiatives pass a machine-generated reading test before petitioning may begin. Rules that force circulators to recite specific warnings, verify IDs, and stop collecting signatures after an affidavit is filed. Restrictions on who may serve as a canvasser, including prohibitions on non-residents and additional burdens for paid petition circulators, and when canvassers may collect signatures Mandatory disclosures and procedures with the potential for harassment, including public release of canvasser addresses A law that gives the Secretary of State authority to exclude all signatures collected by a canvasser when the Secretary of State unilaterally determines that the canvasser violated laws or committed even technical violations. Both Protect AR Rights and For AR Kids are pursuing different referendums and are at different stages in the process. Protect AR Rights is a coalition meant to safeguard the ballot initiative process. Its members include Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, Arkansas Appleseed, Arkansas Citizens First Congress, Arkansas Public Policy Panel, For AR People and the Arkansas State Conference of the NAACP. Attorney General Tim Griffin rejects Arkansas League of Women Voters ballot title to overturn petition rules For AR Kids is a coalition working to amend the education clause of the Arkansas Constitution. Its member organizations include the Arkansas Education Association, Arkansas Public Policy Panel, Arkansas Retired Teachers Association, Arkansas State Conference of the NAACP, Citizens First Congress and Stand Up Arkansas. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
