Voters in Arkansas will decide on an initiative to repeal a casino license in Pope County and require countywide voter approval for any new casino licenses provided for in any future constitutional amendments.
Secretary of State John Thurston announced that 116,200 valid signatures were submitted for the measure. To qualify for the ballot, 90,704 valid signatures were required.
The initiative was sponsored by Local Voters in Charge. Campaign spokesman Hans Stiritz said, “Arkansas voters have stated the obvious – casinos should not be forced into communities that do not want them.”
In 2018, voters approved Issue 4, which authorized licenses for one casino in Crittenden, Garland, Pope, and Jefferson counties. Amendment 4 was approved by 54% of voters statewide, while the vote in Pope County was 60% opposed.
Casinos have been built in Crittenden, Garland, and Jefferson counties. On June 27, the Arkansas Racing Commission approved a casino license for Cherokee Nation Entertainment.
According to campaign finance reports covering information through June 30, Local Voters in Charge had raised $5.3 million from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
Investing in Arkansas registered to oppose the initiative and reported $775,000 in contributions, all from Cherokee Nation Business.
Natalie Ghidotti, vice chairman of Investing in Arkansas, said, “This ballot measure is nothing but a ploy by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma – a rejected casino operator – to change the Arkansas constitution to protect its business interests in another state.”
Thurston’s office found that proponents of an initiative to expand the state’s medical marijuana program submitted around 77,000 valid signatures, falling short of the 90,704 requirement but qualifying for a 30-day cure period to collect additional signatures.
Signatures were also submitted for an initiative to provide a state constitutional right to abortion. Thurston’s office found that the group fell short of the required signatures after rejecting the submitted petitions, stating that the campaign failed to provide statements identifying paid canvassers by name and confirming that canvassers were informed about the rules for gathering signatures. The number of signatures that were accepted fell short of the requirement to qualify for a cure period. The campaign filed a lawsuit requesting all signatures to be counted and to be given a cure period.
In Arkansas, if a petition does not meet the required number of valid signatures but has at least 75% of the necessary signatures, petitioners have 30 days to gather additional signatures or validate the previously rejected ones.
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