House Bill 1713 would require the titles of citizen-led ballot measures to be written at, or under, an eighth-grade reading level. The bill is one of several this legislative session that would change Arkansas' direct democracy process.
The bill’s sponsor, Republican Sen. Mark Johnson, said it is an effort to make the process more accessible to voters.
Several spoke against the bill in an April 3 meeting of the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs committee. Kristin Stuart, a volunteer field organizer for Arkansans for Limited Government, said even some of the simplest ballot titles wouldn’t pass the test set out by the bill.
Others said the bill conflicts with the Supreme Court of Arkansas, which establishes a high standard for ballot titles, requiring them to list everything the proposal would do.
The bill now heads to the full Senate for consideration.
