Barring court action, a proposal to raise the state's minimum wage will be on the November ballot.
Secretary of State Mark Martin's office certified the issue last week, after finding at least 70,074 of the signatures submitted for the measure were valid.
That's good news for minimum-wage workers, who could see their hourly pay gradually increase to $8.50 by 2017. The state minimum wage is now $6.25.
It is also good news for the Democratic Party, which really needs those workers (and anyone else who might be partial to the party's issues) to turn out for the upcoming vote.
There is still the chance a court case could stop the measure. Another ballot issue just certified to the ballot, a constitutional amendment to legalize alcohol sales statewide, drew legal challenge last week.
Among the issues cited is the submission of the petition on July 7, rather than July 4. The holiday caused state officials to shift the deadline for filing, but opponents want the court to hold to the earlier date and disqualify the measure.
The petitions for the minimum wage were submitted on the same timetable and obviously could be impacted by the lawsuit.
Unless or until that happens, all stops are out for Democrats to promote the minimum wage issue right along with their candidates.
It may not be enough to slow Republican gains in public offices, but the more of those minimum-wage workers who go vote, the better the chances are Democrats can retain key posts, including a U.S. Senate seat and the governor's office.
They might even have a shot at regaining a seat or two in the U.S. House, the state Legislature and some other constitutional offices.
It is a simple strategy, not unlike one that developed some years back for Republicans when a constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage was on the ballot.
The Republicans might have won that year anyway, but the issue certainly drove conservative voters to the polls.
Democrats are hoping to find generic "D" voters among the people who will go to the polls to hike the minimum wage, just as Republicans have been able to count in recent years on the generic "R" voters.
Plus, the races for both the Senate seat and for governor are apparently close enough that the election could swing on which party has the most effective ground game.
Both have well planned outreach efforts and are feverishly trying to persuade independent voters to lean their way.
It is a tough sell for the Democrats in a state that has in recent years become increasingly conservative. So the minimum-wage issue is hugely important to the effort, particularly in these close races.
Notably, both U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor in his re-election bid and former U.S. Rep. Mike Ross in his run for governor have staked out positions in favor of the minimum-wage initiative. They did so early on as signatures were being gathered for it.
Last week, U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton and former Rep. Asa Hutchinson, the Republican nominees for senator and governor, respectively, said they'd vote for it, too.
Both are Johnny-Come-Latelies to the issue. Cotton had said he was studying it and Hutchinson said he favored legislative action to raise the minimum wage -- until the issue got on the ballot.
A group called Give Arkansas a Raise is responsible for the proposal. And Steve Copley, its chairman, is certain it will pass.
"It's the right thing to do," he said last week. "People are working hard and playing by the rules, they're trying to live the American dream and they can't make their paycheck go far enough. It's that simple."
The group certainly didn't have any trouble gathering the signatures. They needed the extra month but submitted a total of nearly 130,000 signatures toward the 63,507 necessary to gain ballot access.
The initiated act would initially raise the minimum wage to $7.50 an hour on Jan. 1. That's just above the current federal minimum wage of $7.25.
In another year, the rate would go to $8 an hour and, in 2017, to $8.50.
At this point at least, there is no organized opposition to the measure. And the state Chamber of Commerce says it won't take a position, which suggests there won't be a formal campaign against it.
Copley may just be right about the initiative's chances.
Again, that's good for the minimum-wage earners out there, who can effectively vote themselves a raise in November.
We'll see if enough of them show up to help the Democratic Party's fortunes, too.
BRENDA BLAGG IS A FREELANCE COLUMNIST AND LONGTIME JOURNALIST IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.
Brenda Blagg is a freelance columnist. E-mail comments or questions to [email protected].
Commentary on 09/10/2014