"Democracy" or Activism?
Our state's citizen referendum/initiative process has been knee-capped, we agree
"They never stop! ..." If it's not obvious by now, how can we get you to understand the Left never stops fighting for dominance in the political arena? Whether it's putting "abortion as a constitutional right" on the ballot or inappropriate sexually charged books in our children's libraries, the Left doesn't spend time whining about policies they don't agree with, they organize, identify the cause/target, and take action.
Changing “Democracy”
In Arkansas both liberal and conservative voters got pretty worked up during the 95th General Assembly over the restrictive legislation Republican state Senator Kim Hammer successfully spearheaded against our citizen initiative/referendum process ("democracy" to the Left).
We've seen lots of grousing on social media from conservative voters (Republicans, too!) and promises to primary Senator Hammer, but which side of the political spectrum has not stopped actually taking action and is actively working to oppose what so many complain about?
Ballot Title Approved
That would be the Left-leaning League of Women Voters and Save AR Democracy, who created a coalition to get a ballot title approved that asks voters to overturn much of Hammer's initiative process changes if the proposal makes it to the 2026 ballot. The group also filed a lawsuit seeking to block the new laws they say “constitutionally restrict or impair the freedom” of citizens to petition for new legislation.
After four tries, the supporters organized to successfully navigate the ballot title law -- newly passed just this spring -- that mandates titles be written at an eighth-grade reading level; organizers must now gather 90,704 valid voter signatures (following the tightened signature-gathering restrictions) to get this proposal onto the 2026 ballot.
They say their approved proposal prevents legislative interference, streamlines legal reviews, and simplifies the citizen-led petition process. We note that the AG-approved ballot proposal certainly is much easier to read and understand than the multi-page titles and legalistic garbage voters have seen on our ballots in the past:
An Amendment Concerning Constitutional Amendments, Initiated Acts, and Referendums
This is a proposed change to the Arkansas Constitution. The General Assembly cannot change or repeal a constitutional amendment that voters have approved. Before a statewide petition can be circulated, the proposed law and ballot title must be sent to the Attorney General. Within 10 days, the Attorney General approves the ballot title, rewrites it, or rejects it. The Attorney General approves the ballot title if it clearly explains the issues. If it does not, the Attorney General rewrites it. If no substituted language can explain the issues clearly, the Attorney General rejects the title. If the Attorney General rewrites or rejects the title, that decision can be appealed to the Arkansas Supreme Court immediately. The Court shall hear and decide the case quickly.
Once a ballot title is approved, the Attorney General sends it to the Secretary of State. Within 5 days, the Secretary of State gives the petition a popular name. The name cannot be misleading or partisan. The Secretary of State must also publish a notice that explains how the name or title can be challenged. Any challenge must be made within 45 days. After that, no other challenges are allowed.
For statewide referendums, the ballot title is the title of the Act given by the General Assembly. The popular name is the subtitle. Canvassers must declare that to the best of their knowledge each signature was made by a legal voter who signed in front of them. Previously, canvassers signed an affidavit. This changes the affidavit to a declaration under penalty of perjury. If a bill has an emergency clause, the vote on that clause must be held at least 24 hours after the bill passes.
Only the people can propose a change to Article 5, Section 1 of the Constitution. The General Assembly cannot refer an amendment to that section to the people for a vote. If a law affects the people’s right to the initiative or referendum process, the law only takes effect if voters approve it at the next general election. Laws that regulate these rights must serve a compelling state interest. They must be narrowly tailored to serve that interest. This measure repeals all inconsistent state laws. If part of the amendment is held invalid, the rest will still be valid if it can stand on its own.
Bipartisanship?
The ballot initiative process was spotlighted in 2024 after signature-gathering for numerous ballot proposals failed to qualify due to paperwork issues, invalid signatures, and legal challenges. (The only approved initiative on the 2024 ballot successfully repealed the Pope County casino license).
Arkansas saw the beginnings of effective, bipartisan, grassroots activism when Governor Sarah Sanders and the Legislature set their sights on weakening the state's Freedom of Information laws via a 2023 special legislative session, but that cross-party effort fell apart when liberal participants took control of the nascent combined advocacy group and its donated funding -- again driving relentlessly for political dominance.
Meanwhile, numerous Left-leaning organizations are publicly opposing the new legislation: the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, Arkansas Abortion Support Network, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, Arkansas Civic Action Network, Arkansans for Patient Access, Arkansas Public Policy Panel, Arkansas Education Association, Citizens First Congress, For AR People, Indivisible Little Rock & Central Arkansas, League of Women Voters of Arkansas, Progressive Arkansas Women PAC (PAWPAC), Saline County Women, Stand Up Arkansas, Vortex PAC, and the Western Arkansas Transparency in Government Group, along with grassroots organizations CAPES, Central Arkansas DSA, Gravel and Grit, and Shadowbox Productions.
Will voters' anger over the knee-capping of the citizen initiative process be enough to bring liberal and conservative activists to the table together again against a "common enemy," those newly passed restrictions on the process for citizen-led legislation? Will the Left find its way to again beat a path to get abortion as a constitutional right onto our ballots, despite Senator Hammer's attempt to stop that from happening?
Who will take action and actively work to oppose what so many complain about? Will you sign the petition to place this proposed constitutional amendment on our November ballot?