Arkansas 2016 ballot measures

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2018
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Four measures were certified to appear on the Arkansas ballot on November 8, 2016.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • A total of four ballot measures, three legislative referrals and one initiative, appeared on the November 8, 2016, ballot in Arkansas. Issues on the ballot included marijuana, bonds, state executives, and local government.
  • Issue 6 was approved and legalized medical marijuana.
  • The Arkansas Supreme Court struck Issue 4 and Issue 5 from the ballot 26 days before the election. Issue 4 would have capped medical malpractice awards, and Issue 5 would have authorized three casinos. The court struck down Issue 7, which would have legalized medical marijuana, 12 days before the election.
  • Issue 1, Issue 2, Issue 3, and Issue 6 were on the November 8 ballot. All four of the measures were approved.

    The Arkansas Supreme Court struck two initiatives, Issue 4 and Issue 5, from the ballot on October 13, 2016.[1] Issue 4 would have placed a cap on awards in medical malpractice lawsuits. Issue 5 would have authorized three new casinos in the state. The measures appeared on the ballot, but the court instructed the Arkansas Secretary of State to neither count nor certify results. The court struck down Issue 7, which was designed to legalize medical marijuana, on October 27, 2016.[2]

    At least 14 initiatives were filed for spots on the 2016 ballot in Arkansas. Some of these were repeat filings of the same or similar measures. Petitioners needed to file the requisite number of signatures by July 8, 2016.

    Getting measures on the ballot

    Citizens of Arkansas may initiate legislation as either a state statute or a constitutional amendment. In Arkansas, citizens also have the power to repeal legislation via veto referendum. The Arkansas State Legislature may also place measures on the ballot as legislatively referred constitutional amendments or legislatively referred state statutes.

    Citizens were required to file at least 67,887 valid signatures for initiated state statutes, at least 50,916 valid signatures for veto referendums, and at least 84,859 valid signatures for initiated constitutional amendments.

    During the 2015 state legislative session, the legislature placed three legislatively referred constitutional amendments on the 2016 ballot.

    Historical facts

    See also: History of Initiative & Referendum in Arkansas and List of Arkansas ballot measures

    A total of 48 measures have appeared on statewide ballots since 1996. Two of the measures on the statewide ballot in 2012 were ultimately declared invalid by the court and therefore votes were not counted for them.

    • Between 1996 and 2016, an average of four measures appeared on the ballot in Arkansas.
    • The number of measures appearing on statewide ballots between 1996 and 2016 has ranged from one to six.
    • Between 1996 and 2016, about 60 percent (29 of 48) of statewide ballots were approved by voters, about 35 percent (17 of 48) were defeated, and about four percent (2 of 48) were approved but then overturned by the court.

    On the ballot

    Type Title Subject Description Result
    LRCA Issue 1 Local Gov't Rules governing certain county officials
    Approveda
    LRCA Issue 2 State Exec Role of governor when absent from the state
    Approveda
    LRCA Issue 3 Bonds Removes the cap on the amount of bonds the state is allowed to issue
    Approveda
    CICA Issue 6 Marijuana Legalize medical marijuana
    Approveda

    Cost per required signatures

    The cost per required signatures (CPRS) is a comparison of the amount of money spent on the petition drive to the number of signatures the state requires for an initiative to make the ballot.


    Arkansas initiatives removed from the ballot

    See also: Issue 4 court lawsuit, Issue 5 lawsuit, and Issue 7 lawsuit

    In 2016, three additional initiatives were certified for the ballot by state officials, but were later removed from the ballot by the Arkansas Supreme Court or disqualified by the Arkansas Supreme Court such that results for the measures weren't counted. Two measures, Issue 4 and Issue 7, were struck from the ballot based on deficiencies in the signature petitions and a failure to follow all of the state's laws about petition circulators. Issue 5 was ruled against because it violated federal law. Since these initiatives were initially certified for the ballot, the signature petition cost information was available and is shown below:

    • Issue 4 - Petition cost: $807,762.00; CPRS: $9.52; Petition company: 3.0 LLC
    • Issue 5 - Petition cost: $799,367.21; CPRS: $9.42; Petition companies: Stampede Consulting, LLC, and National Ballot Access
    • Issue 7 - Petition cost: $49,013.65; CPRS: $0.72; Petition company: None (paid individuals and volunteers)


    Not on the ballot

    Type Title Subject Description Result
    CICA Issue 4 Tort Cap on medical malpractice awards Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    CICA Issue 5 Gambling Casinos in Boone, Miller and Washington counties Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    CISS Issue 7 Marijuana Legalize medical marijuana Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    LRCA County Official Term Limits Amendment Term limits Increases the term limits of certain county officials Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    LRCA Lottery Proceeds for Scholarships Amendment Lottery Allows lottery proceeds to be used for scholarships and grants Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    LRCA Court Procedures Amendment Judiciary Relates to court procedures for civil claims Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    LRCA Voter Identification Amendment Elections Requires in person voters to present photo identification Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    LRCA Definition of "Infamous Crime" Amendment Con language Defines the term "infamous crime" as used in the Arkansas Constitution Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    LRCA Notice Publication Amendment Legislature Allows the legislature to determine the manner of publishing of notices required by the constitution Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    LRCA Board of Higher Education Term Limits Amendment Term limits Provides that boards of higher education are not subject to standard board term limits Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    LRCA Rules of Procedure in Civil Cases Amendment Civil trials Authorizes the legislature to enact laws concerning rules of procedure for civil cases Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    LRCA Court Rules for Civil Claims Amendment Civil trials Concerns court rules and procedures applicable to civil claims Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    LRCA Award of Damages in Civil Cases Amendment Civil trials Authorizes the legislature to regulate the award of damages in civil cases Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    LRCA Legislative Sessions Amendment Legislature Reduces the number of days the legislature is in session Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    LRCA Single Candidate Elections Amendment Elections Authorizes the legislature to enact laws governing elections with a single candidate Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    LRCA Funding for Education Amendment Education Provides that state funds for public education not exceed a certain percentage of overall state expenditures Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    LRCA Election of Judicial Officials Amendment Judiciary Allows the legislature to determine whether judicial officials are selected on a partisan or nonpartisan basis Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    LRCA Tax Exemptions for Personal Property Amendment Taxes Exempts certain tangible personal property from ad valorem taxes Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    LRCA Game and Fish Commission Amendment Admin of gov't Concerns the selection of members of the state game and fish commission Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    LRCA Provisions for Lieutenant Governor Amendment State exec Provides for the election and duties of the lieutenant governor Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    LRCA Legislative Term Limits Amendment Term limits Limits legislators to a maximum of 10 years in the legislature Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    VR Local Government Anti-Discrimination Protections Referendum LGBT Repeals state law prohibiting local governments from enacting anti-discrimination protections for gays and lesbians Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    VR "Intrastate Commerce Improvement Act" Referendum Business regulation Enables the people to vote for or against the Arkansas Intrastate Commerce Improvement Act Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    CICA Alcoholic Beverage Amendment Alcohol Legalizes alcohol manufacture, sale, distribution, and transportation in every county Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    CICA Reducing Constitutional Amendments Amendment State legislatures measures Allows the Arkansas General Assembly to propose only one, down from three, constitutional amendment for approval or rejection at the next general election Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    CICA County Official Term Extension Amendment Term limits Changes the term of office for county officials from two years to four years Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    CICA Limiting Non-Economic Damages in Civil Medical Care Cases Amendment Healthcare Places a limit on the monetary damages that a person can receive as a result of a civil suit against medical providers Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    CICA Hemp and Marijuana Legalization Amendment Marijuana Legalizes the use and possession of marijuana for people ages 21 and older Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    CICA Cannabis Amendment Marijuana Legalizes marijuana Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    CISS Civil Rights Act Amendment Constitutional rights Amends the Arkansas Civil Rights Act of 1993 to include sexual orientation and gender identity to the groups protected from discrimination. Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    CISS Wet-Dry Election Act Elections and campaigns Changes the number of signatures required to call a local option (wet-dry) election from 38 percent of the qualified electors to 20 percent of the qualified electors. Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    CISS Campaign Finance Act Elections and campaigns Changes campaign finance expenditures and reporting Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    CISS Campaign Finance Disclosure Initiative Elections and campaigns Changes process of disclosing campaign donors, supports amendment to U.S. Constitution Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot

    State profile

    Demographic data for Arkansas
     ArkansasU.S.
    Total population:2,977,853316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):52,0353,531,905
    Race and ethnicity**
    White:78%73.6%
    Black/African American:15.5%12.6%
    Asian:1.4%5.1%
    Native American:0.6%0.8%
    Pacific Islander:0.2%0.2%
    Two or more:2.1%3%
    Hispanic/Latino:6.9%17.1%
    Education
    High school graduation rate:84.8%86.7%
    College graduation rate:21.1%29.8%
    Income
    Median household income:$41,371$53,889
    Persons below poverty level:22.9%11.3%
    Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
    Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Arkansas.
    **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

    Presidential voting pattern

    See also: Presidential voting trends in Arkansas

    Arkansas voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

    Pivot Counties (2016)

    Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Arkansas, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[3]

    Pivot Counties (2020)

    In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Arkansas had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.

    More Arkansas coverage on Ballotpedia

    See also

    Arkansas

    External links

    Additional reading

    Footnotes