(part three of four)

State Constitutional Officers

and

Arkansas Supreme Court

Inherent in the Arkansas State Constitution is a system of checks and balances established through the creation of the Administrative, Legislative, and Judicial branches of government. When one party controls all three branches, these checks and balances can become blurred or even disappear from the governing process. This is clearly the case in Arkansas. The Arkansas constitutional officers and the Arkansas supreme court can play a fundamental role in the blurring and removal of these checks and balances.

On April 14, 2025 the Arkansas governor signed into law Act 602. This act was specifically legislated to deny any possibility for the citizens of Arkansas to present a citizen initiated amendment to the Arkansas voters on the 2026 general election ballot. One of the requirements of 602 was that the reading level for a citizens initiated ballot title be written at no higher than an eighth grade level.

The secretary of state, the state attorney general, and the Arkansas Supreme court had to know that a federal court would not uphold the eighth grade reading requirement. However, the secretary of state denied the Citizens Direct Democracy amendment on this unconstitutional insult to over 108,000 Arkansas voters. The Arkansas attorney general defended the requirement before the Arkansas Supreme Court and the court ruled in favor of the state. Upon appeal to the 5^th Circuit Federal Court, the eighth grade reading requirement (among others) in Act 602 was ruled unconstitutional.

The Arkansas attorney general immediately appealed the Federal court ruling, effectively blocking an important right of Arkansas citizens to directly participate in their government through the citizen’s initiated process.

How can this not be an insult?

There is an immediate opportunity for the people of Arkansas to express their disappointment with our current State government.

VOTE NO on all three Arkansas’ legislature proposed constitutional amendments.

Send a message to Little Rock that “we can read above an eighth grade level” and “we do want to know how the sausage is made”!!