A federal judge has issued permanent injunctions against several new Arkansas requirements for getting ballot measures before voters, ruling that the laws were too burdensome. The lawsuit was brought by the League of Women Voters and other groups that argued the new rules made it too difficult to place issues on the ballot.
Background
The ruling came as supporters of ballot measures face a Friday deadline to turn in 90,704 valid petition signatures to the Secretary of State’s Office for a chance to qualify for the November ballot. For AR People Executive Director Gennie Diaz said the group is counting every signature and feels confident they will meet the goal.
Diaz said the ruling was a win for direct democracy, affirming that the right to direct democracy is constitutionally guaranteed in Arkansas and protected under the First Amendment. The court blocked requirements for ID checks for people signing petitions, warnings that petition fraud is a crime, and rules requiring canvassers to read ballot measures to voters or verify that a person had read the entire measure before signing.
Next Steps
The Arkansas Attorney General and Secretary of State plan to appeal the ruling. Other issues in the case are scheduled to go to trial later this month, including bans on paying canvassers based on the number of signatures they collect.
Original reporting: 40/29 / KHBS (NW Arkansas) — read the source article.
