Arkansas lawmakers are nearing final approval of a bill changing how the petition process works. Senate Bill 207 requires canvassers to disclose to voters signing a petition that petition fraud is a criminal offense. Democratic Rep. Tippi McCullough questioned how the requirement would be enforced.
The bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Kendon Underwood, said evidence could be presented in several ways and that it would ultimately be up to investigators to decide how to prosecute the crime.
Duplicate petition signatures are commonly thrown out before measures are approved to go before voters. The bill passed the full House on a vote of 67 to 26. It heads back to the Senate to approve an amendment before going to the governor’s desk for a signature.
