One issue definitely won’t make the November ballot. Several others may. The determination awaits a long review that is really only one step in a long process.
Arkansas election officials are poring over thousands and thousands of signatures to determine which of several ballot issues will qualify for the November ballot.
Among them are proposals to legalize casinos in three counties, allow medical marijuana and put limits on medical lawsuits.
Clearly, there’s some controversy involved here and a hard road to the ballot for a couple of the issues.
Which issues do make the ballot depends first on how many of the submitted signatures prove valid. Proposed amendments need at least 84,859 signatures from registered voters. A proposed initiated act requires a minimum of 67,887 valid signatures.
Supporters could get a second chance to reach the magic numbers, once these submitted signatures are counted. That’s why they’re still out there collecting signatures, aiming to make up any difference during a 30-day extension.
If their supporters can snag a place on the ballot, there’s still another potential hurdle for any of the proposals: litigation.
It is at that stage that many ballot proposals get picked apart, often a result of close scrutiny of how the signatures are actually gathered.
Where do the various proposals stand now?
Restore Term Limits’ attempt to, well, restore term limits, is the proposal that will not be on the ballot. It’s gone.
That proposed amendment would have limited lawmakers to 10 years in the Legislature, but petitioners fell well short of the necessary signatures.
Good riddance.
More likely to make its way to the ballot is a proposal for casino gambling, although it will surely face many roadblocks.
Arkansas Wins in 2016, the group backing a constitutional amendment to allow casinos in Boone, Miller and Washington counties, turned in more than enough signatures (92,279) to the secretary of state’s office by the deadline earlier this month.
But they, like those who were circulating petitions for one of two medical marijuana amendments, acknowledge they might not have enough valid signatures just yet.
Both groups think they will have enough to qualify for the 30-day extension to gather more.
Another significant development is the announcement last month that Arkansas Wins has a deal with Cherokee Nation Entertainment to run the Washington County casino if voters ultimately approve that proposal.
The company operates nine casinos in Oklahoma, including one in West Siloam Springs just across the Benton County line.
More recently, Cherokee Nation Businesses LLC showed up as a major donor to a campaign to pass the proposed amendment. The holding company donated $1 million to Arkansas Winning Initiative Inc., which will advocate for casino gambling in Arkansas.
Expect this campaign to get rough, if the issue gets to the ballot. Some have already expressed strong opposition and more will.
Gambling tied to dog and horse racing (at Southland in West Memphis and Oaklawn in Hot Springs) is all that is available in Arkansas now, plus some electronic gaming at those sites.
Those interests won’t want competition from these proposed stand-alone casinos, so they’ll likely provide money to fuel the opposition, including any potential legal challenge
Medical marijuana legalization is the issue that might actually pass in November.
A similar proposal narrowly failed in Arkansas in 2012 and more recent polling has shown rising support for such a measure.
The question now is whether voters will consider one or two proposals.
One proposal, an initiated act, has actually qualified for the ballot. The secretary of state verified that at least 77,516 of the submitted signatures are those of registered voters. (The sponsoring organization, Arkansans for Compassionate Care, needed just 67,887 to get an initiated act to the ballot.)
A second proposal, this one a constitutional amendment, is one of those undergoing review now and may need more signatures. Its sponsor is Arkansans United for Medical Marijuana.
If both proposals make the ballot, that will be the time to get into the differences; but the distinction most mentioned is that the initiated act would allow users to grow their own medical marijuana if no dispensaries are nearby. The constitutional amendment would not.
Both will get strong resistance, starting with Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a former head of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration
Also planning opposition to both marijuana and casino legalization is the Family Council Action Committee, a formidable conservative organization.
Less clear is how one more proposed amendment will be received by voters.
It comes from Health Care Access for Arkansas, which submitted 131,687 signatures for a proposal to cap non-economic damages awarded for medical injury against health care providers.
Obviously, health care providers will lead that campaign, which has so far been mostly under the radar.
—––––– v –––––—
Brenda Blagg is a freelance columnist and longtime journalist in Northwest Arkansas. Email her at [email protected] .