By STEVE BRAWNER | Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.
Supporters of separate ballot initiatives that would expand medical marijuana access, legalize abortion, and write the Freedom of Information Act into the Arkansas Constitution are working together to try to qualify for the November ballot.
The three groups, and two others, are jointly hosting signature-collection events at various locations.
One of the others seeks to pass a constitutional amendment requiring private schools that receive state funds to meet the same standards public schools do. The amendment also would obligate the state to provide preschool, afterschool and other services.
The other group wants to pass an initiated act removing the sales tax on diapers and feminine hygiene products. An initiated act is a citizen-led law, which is not as permanent as a constitutional amendment.
In addition, the FOIA amendment’s backers, Arkansas Citizens for Transparency, also seek to pass an initiated act codifying changes to the FOIA.
Supporters of the amendments must collect 90,704 valid voter signatures by July 5 to qualify for the ballot. The initiated acts require 72,563 signatures. Supporters in both cases will need to gather more than those amounts, because some signatures will be invalid.
David Couch, an attorney working with the medical marijuana, FOIA and feminine hygiene/diaper tax efforts, said what started as joint signing events grew into an organized direct democracy movement. The five groups each promote the signing locations to try to increase overall traffic. On Saturday, June 8, all five were scheduled to collect signatures in nine cities, including Jonesboro, Conway, Heber Springs and Fort Smith.
It’s not hard to imagine voters picking and choosing their petitions. The abortion and education amendment efforts generally come from responses to Republican lawmakers banning almost all abortions and passing the LEARNS Act, which provides families about $7,000 per child for private and home schooling expenses. The FOIA efforts, on the other hand, grew from opposition from across the political spectrum to lawmakers’ efforts to narrow the Freedom of Information Act last year.
I’m not sure exactly where to place the marijuana amendment on the spectrum.
Removing the tax on diapers and feminine products, meanwhile, is hardly just a liberal thing. Tax-cutting Republican lawmakers could have done that. If sponsors collect enough signatures, I don’t see how it fails.
First, however, it must make the ballot, which generally requires money. That’s why the initiative with the best chance of getting there is the marijuana one. It has a constituency, the marijuana industry, with a financial interest in passing it. Arkansans for Patient Access had raised almost a million dollars by the end of April, enabling it to hire hundreds of paid canvassers.
Couch, who is in charge of those paid canvassers, said supporters are close to collecting enough signatures with a month to go. He believes “100%” it will make the ballot.
He’s also optimistic about the other efforts he is working with, the FOIA and feminine hygiene/diapers initiatives. He said FOIA has “slightly better odds since there is some paid support.” As of April 30, it had raised more than $153,500. The other group, Arkansas Period Poverty Project, had raised a little more than $2,700.
As for the others, the abortion amendment supporters, Arkansans for Limited Government, had raised almost $350,000 by April’s end. Rebecca Bobrow said the group is three-fourths of the way to reaching the 90,704. In contrast, the education amendment’s backers, For AR Kids, have volunteers but had raised only a little more than $4,500. Bill Kopsky with Arkansas Public Policy Panel said, “We believe we are on track.”
While these various groups are working together to make the ballot, opponents – some newly formed, some long in existence – are working to persuade Arkansans not to sign the petitions. Multiple groups are opposed to the abortion amendment, including established grassroots organizations Arkansas Right to Life and the Family Council Action Committee. The latter also opposes the marijuana amendment. Stronger Arkansas opposes the abortion, marijuana and education amendments. Two other groups, Opportunity Arkansas and Arkansans for Students and Educators, oppose the education amendment.
This is occurring in an environment without much suspense in state elections involving candidates. Almost across the board, we know Republicans easily will win except in those pockets of the state where Democrats easily will win.
If Arkansas has competitive elections this year at the state level, it will be with the ballot initiatives.
First, supporters must collect enough signatures. We’ll know more after the secretary of state’s office starts counting them July 5.
Steve Brawner is a syndicated columnist published in 17 outlets in Arkansas. Email him at brawnersteve@mac.com.
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