Tag: arkansas
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Arkansas is fifth state in 2025 to ban foreign spending on ballot measures
Arkansas is the 14th state to pass a law prohibiting foreign spending in ballot measure campaigns and the fifth state to do so in 2025—a record for the most states enacting such laws in a single year. In previous years, no more than one state passed a similar law per year. Arkansas House Bill 1837…
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Arkansas enacts ballot title readability law, joining five other states since 2018
A new Arkansas law requires initiative ballot titles to be written at or below an eighth-grade reading level. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed House Bill 1713 (HB 1713) into law on April 14, 2025. The law is one of six enacted since 2018 that address the readability of ballot language. The House approved the…
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Arkansas voters to decide on three constitutional amendments in 2026 addressing the right to bear arms, a citizenship requirement for voting, and the creation of economic development districts
Arkansas voters will decide on three constitutional amendments on Nov. 3, 2026, referred to the ballot by the state legislature. The amendments would expand the constitutional right to bear arms, require citizenship to vote, and allow the creation of economic development districts. Right to bear arms amendment Senate Joint Resolution 11 was sponsored by Sen.…
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Arkansas governor signs four bills revising initiative and referendum rules, including signature gathering period, ballot language approval, and circulator requirements
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed four bills into law, changing state and local initiative and referendum processes. The bills are Senate Bill 102, Senate Bill 207, House Bill 1221, and House Bill 1222. Senate Bill 102 (SB 102) applies state initiative requirements to local initiative petitions. Changes include: SB 102 passed with support…
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Arkansas Governor applies to CMS for waiver to implement work requirements for Medicaid
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders sent a section 1115 waiver request to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) last Tuesday, January 28th, requesting permission to implement work requirements for able-bodied Medicaid recipients aged 19-64. Section 1115 of the Social Security Act allows for states to request approval from the CMS to waive certain…
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77% of elections in Arkansas are uncontested
Of 2,333 regular elections in Arkansas—1,794 (77%) are uncontested. An uncontested election is one where the number of candidates on the ballot is less than or equal to the number of seats up for election. Of the 24 states where Ballotpedia is covering every election on Nov. 5, Arkansas has the third highest rate of…
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Seven presidential tickets will appear on the ballot in Arkansas this November
Arkansas’ Nov. 5, 2024, general election ballot will feature seven presidential candidates and their running mates. They are: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withdrew from the presidential election in August, but will still appear on Arkansas’ ballot. There are six fewer candidates on Arkansas’ presidential ballot compared to 2020. In 2020, Arkansas’ ballot had 13 candidates:…
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Arkansas medical marijuana initiative found not to meet signature threshold, leaving 57 citizen-initiated measures for 2024
The last ballot initiative pending signature verification for the election on Nov. 5, 2024—Arkansas Issue 3—failed to make the ballot, according to Secretary of State John Thurston. The total number of statewide ballot measures certified for elections in 2024 is 160. Several measures are facing litigation, which could result in them being voided before the…
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Update on 2024 state ballot measure certifications: three certifications in Nebraska, one last initiative in Arkansas pending signature verification
For 2024, 160 statewide ballot measures have been certified for the ballot in 41 states, which is two above the average (158) for this point in the election cycle from 2012 to 2022. The average number of statewide ballot measures certified for an even-numbered year during this period was 157. The final average, 157, is…
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With certifications in Arizona and Missouri, voters in eight states will decide on abortion-related ballot measures in 2024, the most on record for a single year
Voters in eight states—Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, New York, Nevada, and South Dakota—will decide on abortion-related ballot measures in Nov. 2024. This is the most on record for a single year. Initiatives are pending signature verification in three additional states—Arkansas, Montana, and Nebraska. Measures were most recently certified in Arizona and Missouri. On Aug.…