An Arkansas nonprofit has received approval from the state attorney general to begin collecting signatures to reinforce the state's direct democracy process. Little Rock Public Radio's Josie Lenora reports.
It's the second effort to strengthen direct democracy so far this election cycle. The two proposed constitutional amendments are nearly identical. Both strengthen and enshrine the direct democracy process in the state constitution, though the specifics are more nuanced. One is put forward by the League of Women Voters, the other by a separate group called Protect AR Rights.
The first proposal was approved weeks back, while the second needed a few more attempts. Right now, it's unclear what kind of relationship the two groups plan to have as they began to collect tens of thousands of signatures.
Protect AR Rights has tried to get their proposal approved several times. The timing from Attorney General Tim Griffin is curious. It's days after Protect AR Rights became a party in a lawsuit challenging the ballot initiative process.
Some canvassers say collecting the required number of signatures to amend the state's constitution is virtually impossible because the state Legislature has heavily regulated the signature-gathering process.
Both groups will continue the court challenge, seeking to overturn some of these regulations as they try to put their amendments on the 2026 ballot.
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