Secretary Daniels Approves Petitions to get Lottery Initiative on November Ballot
Monday, Jul 21, 2008
LITTLE ROCK, AR—Secretary Daniels today certified the petitions submitted by Hope for Arkansas allowing the group’s lottery initiative to appear on the statewide ballot in the November 4 general election.
The proposed constitutional amendment would authorize the General Assembly to establish, operate, and regulate state lotteries to fund scholarships and grants for Arkansas citizens enrolled in certified two-year and four-year colleges and universities in Arkansas.
On June 26, the group submitted petitions with 134,387 signatures to the Secretary of State. 10,426 signatures were culled leaving 123, 961 to verify. 91,149 were determined to belong to Arkansas registered voters. 77,468 valid signatures, or ten percent of the total number of votes cast for Governor in 2006, are required to get a proposed constitutional amendment on the 2008 ballot.
One other group, The Family Council Action Committee, submitted petitions to the Secretary of State by the July 7 deadline. The verification process has begun on their petitions for an initiated act to provide that an individual who is cohabiting outside of a valid marriage may not adopt or be a foster parent of a child less than eighteen years old. 61,974 valid signatures, or eight percent of the number of votes cast for Governor in 2006, are required for initiated acts to get on the ballot this year.
The Secretary of State must verify signatures within 30 days of receipt of ballot initiative petitions.
The following three other measures were referred to the voters by the 86th General Assembly to appear on this year’s general election ballot:
• Referred Question 1—Arkansas Water, Waste Disposal, and Pollution Abatement Facilities Financing Act of 2007.
• Proposed Referred Constitutional Amendment 1—An Amendment Concerning Voting, Qualifications of Voters and Election Officers, and the Time of Holding General Elections.
• Proposed Referred Constitutional Amendment 2—An Amendment Providing that No Legislative Appropriation Shall be for a Period Longer than One Year, Providing for Fiscal Legislative Sessions, Requiring the General Assembly to Meet Every Year with Regular Sessions Continuing to be Held in Odd-Numbered Years and Fiscal Sessions Held in Even-Numbered Years, Unless the General Assembly Votes to Hold Regular Sessions in Even-Numbered Years and Fiscal Sessions in Odd-Numbered Years, and Allowing the General Assembly to Consider Non-Fiscal Matters During a Fiscal Session Upon Approval of Two-Thirds of Both Houses.
The full ballot titles of the proposed issues can be found at www.votenaturally.org.
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Contact: Natasha Naragon
Phone: (501) 683-1441
Email: natasha.naragon@sos.arkansas.gov
Arkansas Secretary of State Charlie Daniels
256 State Capitol Building
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
Phone: (501) 682-1010
Website: www.sos.ar.gov
Email: arsos@sos.ar.gov
