An Arkansas group is working to make it easier to amend the state constitution. Protect AR Rights wants to put an amendment on the ballot to strengthen the canvassing process altogether. The Arkansas constitution has language guaranteeing the right of citizens to pass amendments and initiatives. This means any citizen can work through a process to put an idea on the ballot for voters to decide.
Recent legislative sessions have dialed back the ease of the process. The group’s Kwami Abdul-Bey said the new laws make it impossible for citizens to refer proposals to the ballot.
One new state law requires that an amendment’s ballot title be written at or below an 8th-grade reading level. This limits the number of syllables in each word and the number of words in each sentence. Advocates say this rule is almost impossible to follow, along with another requirement mandating that the wording be “clear.” Jen Standerfer, a lawyer for the group, said the language in the proposal they just submitted was probably too advanced for the grade level calculation.
Meanwhile, a lawsuit is underway to challenge the new laws restricting the petition process. Protect AR Rights has joined with the American Civil Liberties Union in challenging the new laws. In a statement, Attorney General Tim Griffin said he would “vigorously defend the State and the constitutionality of our laws that govern ballot initiatives.”
