The Arkansas State Capitol. (Dwain Hebda/Arkansas Advocate)
Two new Arkansas policies approved by lawmakers Friday continue to raise concerns among activists as potentially suppressive measures: one limiting the use of electronic signatures on voter registration forms and one eliminating the gender-neutral “X” marker on driver’s licenses.
Earlier this year, the voter advocacy group Get Loud Arkansas created a popular online voter registration tool that included an electronic signature. That same tool led the State Board of Election Commissioners to implement an emergency rule prohibiting the digital mark in April.
The rule requires “wet,” or pen-on-paper, signatures for voter registration forms, with exceptions for forms completed at certain state agencies, such as the DMV.
Get Loud’s online portal has since been amended to no longer include an electronic signature, but the organization is leading a lawsuit challenging the rule , calling it a tool of voter suppression. The suit alleges first-time voters, rural Arkansans and people with disabilities will be disproportionately affected by the rule.