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Amendment 7 to the Arkansas Constitution gives the people of Arkansas the power to propose legislation or constitutional amendments by initiative petition, and to order the referendum against any measure passed by the General Assembly. The petition must be signed by eight percent (8%) of the voters in the last gubernatorial race in the case of proposed legislation, ten percent (10%) in the case of proposed constitutional amendments, and six percent (6%) in the case of a referendum. The proposed legislation or constitutional amendment must be submitted to the legal voters of the state at a regular election; referendum petitions may be referred to the people at special elections when fifteen percent (15%) of the legal voters petition for such special election.
The 2010 signature requirements for proposed ballot issues are 77,468 for proposed constitutional amendments, 61,974 for proposed acts, and 46,481 for referenda. Sponsors must submit the required number of signatures to the Secretary of State for certification by the July 2, 2010 deadline.
Sponsors of statewide initiative petitions should seek approval of a popular name and ballot title from the Arkansas Attorney General before gathering signatures. The Secretary State has 30 days to verify signatures. If a petition is found not to contain the required number of valid signatures, the sponsor has 30 days to collect additional signatures. If the petition is determined to have the required number of signatures, the statewide initiative will appear on the General Election ballot in November.
Some legislative acts and constitutional amendments are referred directly to the voters by the state’s General Assembly. Below are three measures referred by the 87th General Assembly during their regular session in 2009 that will appear on the state’s November 2, 2010 General Election ballot.
Issue No. 1 PDF | HTML
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 3
AMENDING THE ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION TO PROVIDE FOR
A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO HUNT, FISH, TRAP, AND
HARVEST WILDLIFE.
Issue No. 2 PDF | HTML
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 1004
PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF
ARKANSAS CONCERNING THE INTEREST RATE LIMITS.
Issue No. 3 PDF | HTML
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 1007
TO AMEND AMENDMENT 82 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF
ARKANSAS TO AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO
ESTABLISH CRITERIA BEFORE AUTHORIZING THE
ISSUANCE OF BONDS FOR PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYERS
PLANNING AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECT.
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