State Feed: Arkansas

Arkansas: Wet-Dry measure has the signatures

TrevorF — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:42:03 -0400

The Boone County clerk says voters will get a chance in the Nov. 2 general election to decide if the sale of alcoholic beverages should be legal in the county. County Clerk Crystal Graddy on Friday certified that petitions turned in by Jeff Crockett, seeking a wet-dry election in the now-dry county, contained enough valid signatures to put the question on the ballot.

Read the story from WREG 3

Arkansas: Goal of Arkansan to ease law changes

TrevorF — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:24:31 -0400

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas man whose organization provided most of the funding for legislative term limits is championing a new cause to give voters a greater say in government.

Paul Jacob, 50, played such a large role in the national push to create limits on the duration of political service that he rose to the national stage.

Now, his Virginia-based Citizens in Charge advocates making it easier for citizens to try to change laws and state constitutions through the petition process.

Arkansas: Illegal immigration measure doesn't get enough signatures for ballot

TrevorF — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:25:42 -0400

Secure Arkansas, the grassroots organization pushing a citizen’s sponsored illegal immigration ballot issue, has failed to submit enough raw signatures for its measure to be considered for the November general election, according to this exclusive report from TalkBusiness.net. Secretary of State Charlie Daniels reports that after a closer examination of the affidavits submitted by the group, the official signature count totaled 67,542 — nearly 10,000 signatures below the minimum required by state law.

Arkansas: Measure pulled by group, will refile

TrevorF — Fri, 28 May 2010 12:51:25 -0400

Leaders of the Arkansas Progressive Group announced Thursday (May 27) they will withdraw their AR OneTax ballot initiative following an Arkansas Supreme Court ruling that the group could not challenge its own initiative in court. The tax proposal sought to vastly restructure Arkansas’ tax code so that state tax revenue would largely be dependent on a higher sales tax.

Read the story from The City Wire

Arkansas: Court rules against friendly challenge to ballot measure

TrevorF — Thu, 20 May 2010 16:31:57 -0400

The sponsor of an Arkansas ballot proposal cannot file a friendly challenge to his or her own measure, the state Supreme Court ruled today in a case involving a Fort Smith group’s proposal for a statewide flat tax. The court dismissed a challenge by the Arkansas Progressive Group to the group’s proposed constitutional amendment to repeal all existing state taxes and replace them with a flat-rate sales tax.

Read the story from the Arkansas News

Arkansas: Group gathering signatures for illegal immigrant benefits initiative

TrevorF — Wed, 19 May 2010 12:57:02 -0400

Members of Secure Arkansas set up shop at various polling sites Tuesday, asking voters to sign a ballot initiative that would limit benefits to illegal immigrants. The petition received a mixed reaction. Some supported the group’s ideas. “If you’re not working and paying taxes legally in this country, I’m not sure you should reap the rewards of tax-based programs to help those in need,” said voter Alisa Williams.

Read the story from 4029 TV

Arkansas: Health care initiative rejected

TrevorF — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:04:06 -0400

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel deals a blow to a group of local health care reform protesters. McDaniel rejected a proposed ballot initiative Tuesday that sought to prohibit the new federal health care law. McDaniel rejected a similar initiative from the same group, Secure Arkansas, in February.

Read the story from KATV 7

Arkansas: Petition signatures gathered for wet-dry issue in Arkansas county

TrevorF — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:29:03 -0500

The push to get the wet-dry issue on Boone County’s ballot was on in Harrison. Petitioners worked throughout the weekend to gather additional signatures. “I think people should be able to vote. That’s what we are all about is voting, right,” said one person signing a petition. The Buhr family quickly signed, saying Harrison’s economy would flourish if tax dollars weren’t being spent elsewhere.

Read the story from KSPR 33

Arkansas: Plans for initiative to fight federal healthcare overhaul

TrevorF — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:25:10 -0500

As legislation to overhaul the nation’s health care system works its way through Congress, efforts are under way in Arkansas and elsewhere to thwart federal action at the state level. Two Republican state lawmakers are floating proposed legislation to protect “freedom of choice in health care,” while a conservative grassroots group hopes to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot to block the federal health care overhaul in Arkansas. If passed, the measures are sure to be challenged in court, observers say.

Arkansas: Early voting initiative cleared for signature gathering

TrevorF — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:50:41 -0500

Another initiative petition has been approved to be passed around in Missouri, as supporters seek to get their issue on the ballot. This one deals with early voting in Missouri. Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan announced Monday the petitions meet state standards to be circulated. The issue seeks to make it easier for people to vote before the official election day.

Read the story from Ozarks First

Arkansas: State attorney general rejects initiative language

TrevorF — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 10:55:30 -0500

The state attorney general today rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize marijuana for medical use. Attorney General Dustin McDaniel cited numerous problems with the proposal submitted by Little Rock attorney John Wesley Hall, Jr., including that federal law would supersede a state drug amendment. “I note as an initial matter that this description fails to acknowledge that your proposed measure cannot completely legalize marijuana in Arkansas for medical purposes because the drug remains illegal under federal law,” the opinion said.

Arkansas: Alcohol tax increase rejected

TrevorF — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:47:27 -0500

The state attorney general Tuesday rejected a proposed ballot initiative that would raise the excise tax on all alcoholic beverages sold in Arkansas. Attorney General Dustin McDaniel cited ambiguities in the proposed initiated act that would use proceeds from the tax hike to pay for drug treatment, prevention and interdiction programs. Driving chapter in Arkansas, would levy a 10-cent tax on every standard drink of alcohol sold in the state. It also would create the Arkansas Substance Abuse Programs Fund.

Illegal Immigrant services measure certified for circulation

TrevorF — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:50:17 -0400

The Arkansas attorney general’s office has cleared the way for signature-gathering by supporters of a proposed ballot measure requiring government agencies to verify that all those seeking public benefits in the state are legal U.S. residents. Attorney General Dustin McDaniel on Wednesday certified the proposed constitutional amendment of Secure Arkansas, allowing the group to begin collecting the 77,468 signatures needed to put it before voters in the November 2010 general election.

After results were voided last year, group collecting signatures for 2010 ballot

TrevorF — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:17:47 -0400

A group of about 40 people has been busy since April trying to collect valid signatures to put one of Clark County’s most talked-about issues on the November 2010 ballot. Vote for Growth led an effort in 2008 to put the question of whether alcohol sales should be allowed in the county, but after the group’s opposition found an error in their collecting of the sufficient number of signatures, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled that some signatures were not valid. This decision was handed down days before the general election, and the ballots already cast were void.

Voters to decide on Arkansas town merger

TrevorF — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:27:07 -0400

A special election next month will ask voters in Caddo Valley and Arkadelphia if they want to merge the two cities. Supporters of the idea gathered signatures to put the measure on the ballot for a special vote on July 14.

Read the story from WXVT 15

Gay-rights group wants to “out” petition signers

Bettina — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:32:32 -0400

Several gay-rights groups from across the country are developing databases of names and address of people who signed petitions supporting traditional marriage measures. These searchable databases would be put on the Internet open to all interested parties.

A group called KnowThyNeighboor.org has already placed names of traditional marriage supporters on he Internet in states like Oregon, Florida and Arkansas.

Arkansas Senate Panel Recommends Constitutional Amendments

Brandon — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 06:01:00 -0400

The Arkansas Senate State Agencies and Government Affairs Committee recommended six constitutional amendments to be considered in a joint meeting with a House committee next week. Among the proposals are repealing annual legislative sessions and constitutionally protecting hunting, fishing, and wildlife trapping.

Read the story from KSFM TV

Paul Greenburg: Free Paul Jacob

cicf — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:37:03 -0500

The name Paul Jacob is familiar here in Arkansas, where he led the struggle to get term limits adopted in Arkansas. Then he went national as head of U.S. Term Limits and now runs an outfit called Citizens in Charge.
It seems Mr. Jacob has never outgrown his need to put the people, not the politicians, in control of their government. One needn’t agree with his ideas to admire his commitment — or defend his right to express them.

Retired judges oppose ballot measure to limit adoptions

cicf — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:01:22 -0400

A Nov. 4 ballot measure that would ban unmarried, cohabiting adults from adopting or becoming foster parents would limit the ability of judges to find good homes for vulnerable children, a group of retired judges said Monday.

Alcohol measure on ballot resisted

cicf — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:11:08 -0400

Two Sharp County residents have filed lawsuits in attempts to keep an alcohol issue off the county’s November ballot, including one who requested a temporary injunction Monday that would delay the referendum if a judge cannot rule on it by the Nov. 4 election.

The lawsuits, filed Friday afternoon in Sharp County Circuit Court, challenge both the wording of the petition and the signatures gathered by proponents of a move to allow the sale of alcohol in the north Arkansas county.