Volunteers armed with clipboards will be collecting signatures at Arkansas festivals, farmers markets and other locations over the next seven weeks as three initiative campaigns race to qualify for the November ballot.
Canvassers for two competing direct-democracy measures and a third education proposal have less than two months to submit thousands of signatures to the secretary of state. Several other campaigns that had language approved for proposed initiatives aren’t actively circulating petitions.
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Arkansas is one of 24 states that allows citizen-led initiatives. The majority-Republican Legislature has implemented restrictions on the initiative process in recent years, but some of the new laws have been blocked by federal courts.
Save AR Democracy is one of two groups pursuing a constitutional amendment to strengthen the state’s direct democracy process, which allows Arkansans to propose laws or constitutional amendments and place them on the ballot for a statewide vote…