Arkansas Ballot Issues Newsletter

May 2023

Clock Starts on Arkansas LEARNS Referendum Effort

May 1 marked the official end of the 94th Arkansas General Assembly's legislative session and the start of a 90-day marathon for a group of citizens who want to put a new educational law on the ballot for voters to decide.

Citizens for Arkansas Public Education and Students (CAPES) submitted a ballot title on April 10 to the Arkansas Attorney General's Office for review, signifying their intent to challenge Act 237, known as the LEARNS Act.

Before a single voter signature can be collected, the Arkansas Attorney General's Office has to certify that the proposed ballot title is free from misleading language.

On April 24, the Attorney General Tim Griffin's office issued its rejection via Opinion No. 2023-023.The opinion lists reasons including insufficient and inaccurate summaries of the 145-page law. But the main reason was the title didn't tell voters that voting FOR the act meant they wanted to keep it and voting AGAINST meant they want to veto it, a common mix up for most referendums.

"This means that most people who support the referendum effort and are fully informed will step into the voting booth and vote "against" on the issue. Because nothing in your popular name or ballot title indicates the impact of a vote for or against the measure, I must reject your draft and instruct you to redesign it," the opinion prepared by Deputy Attorney General Ryan Owsley stated.

CAPES representatives have since resubmitted their ballot title after some corrections.

"We feel very good about the new submission and we think he's going to approve it," organizer Steve Grappe told the Arkansas Advocate after the group resubmitted the ballot title.

By the time CAPES hears back next from the Attorney General's Office about their submission, they will have less than 90 days to collect the required 54,422 voter signatures from 50 Arkansas counties.

If approved by the Attorney General's Office, the referendum would be the first to face a new 50-county rule passed by the legislature. Previously, ballot issue groups needed to collect voter signatures from at least 15 counties. Legislators passed Act 236, which increased the number to 50 counties. A lawsuit over the constitutionality of Act 236 has yet to have its first day in court.

Follow the court case 60CV-23-1816 online.

More About the LEARNS Act

Act 237 had an emergency clause, which meant the series of education law changes went into effect when Gov. Sarah Sanders signed the bill. Many of the changes included in the law will take place through the creation of new rules. Applications have closed for volunteers who want to be part of work groups that will provide the state feedback on how rules will be implemented.

Find out more about the work groups.

Read the Democrat-Gazette's guide to the LEARNS Act

On the 2024 Ballot - From the Legislature

For the first time in nearly 40 years, Arkansas legislators have referred only one constitutional amendment to voters. Election Day is Nov. 5, 2024.

Issue 1 - A constitutional amendment to provide that lottery proceeds may be used to fund or provide scholarships and grants to Arkansas citizens enrolled in vocational-technical schools and technical institutes.

Behind the Scenes

Did you know we maintain an archive of our past voter guides and fact sheets on the statewide ballot issues? The archive is an easy way to read about past Arkansas ballot issues going back to 2004, including failed proposals or issues struck from the ballot.

In addition to voter guides, the archive also contains past issues of our newsletter dating back to 2014. We frequently refer to the archive, and now you can too.

Access the archive at uaex.uada.edu/business-communities/voter-education/newsletter-and-voter-guide-archive

Other resources that provide context about past ballot issues include the book, The Arkansas State Constitution, by Kay Goss, and the CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas website. Read their entry on Initiatives and Referendums.

PPC In the Media

Below is a selection of recent Public Policy Center media coverage:

El Dorado News-Times - Re-Entry Simulation to give first-hand look at struggles of recently released

The Public Policy Center recently launched the Arkansas Re-Entry Simulation, a two-hour program where people assume the identity of people recently released from prison and try to accomplish the many daily living tasks faced by many Arkansans. The SHARE Foundation in El Dorado piloted the simulation with us on April 26.

Read the newspaper

Check out our blog post: Public Policy Center Launces Arkansas Re-Entry Simulation During Second Chance Month

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The Public Policy Center was established in 2004 to provide Arkansans with timely, credible, unaligned and research-based information and education about public issues. Public issues are defined as pressing and emerging issues that involve multiple points of view and have widespread consequences.

Our goals are to:

Increase citizen knowledge, awareness and understanding of public issues;
Enhance public participation in decisions regarding public issues, and
Help citizens craft, evaluate and implement alternative solutions to public issues.

We are part of the Community, Professional and Economic Development unit at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service in Little Rock.

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