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Arkansas 2020 ballot measures
- Election date: Nov. 3
- Registration deadline(s): Oct. 5
- Online registration: No
- Same-day registration: No
- Recount laws
- Early voting starts: Oct. 19
- Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): Nov. 3 (received)
- Processing, counting, and challenging absentee/mail-in ballots
- Voter ID: Photo ID
- Poll times: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
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Three statewide ballot measures were certified for the 2020 ballot in the state of Arkansas. Two were approved and one was defeated.
On the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LRCA | Issue 1 | Taxes | Continues a 0.5 percent sales tax for transportation |  |
| LRCA | Issue 2 | Term limits | Changes term limits to twelve consecutive years for state legislators with the opportunity to return after a four-year break | |
| LRCA | Issue 3 | Direct democracy and State legislatures | Changes initiative process and legislative referral requirements |  |
Issue 6 also appeared on the ballots for the November 3 election, but results were not counted or certified.
Removed from the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CICA | Issue 4 | Redistricting | Creates the Citizens' Redistricting Commission for state legislative and congressional redistricting | 
|
| CICA | Issue 5 | Elections and campaigns | Creates a top-four ranked-choice voting system in Arkansas for general elections for federal congressional office, state general assembly, and statewide elected offices |
|
| VR | Issue 6 | Healthcare | Rejects or maintains Act 579 (House Bill 1251) to amend the definition of practice of optometry that would allow optometrists to perform surgical procedures |
|
Summary of campaign contributions
- See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2020
| Ballot Measure | Support Contributions | Oppose Contributions | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas Issue 1, Transportation Sales Tax Continuation Amendment (2020) | $2,304,092.10 | $0.00 |
|
| Arkansas Issue 2, Change State Legislative Term Limits Amendment (2020) | $0.00 | $26,300.00 |
|
| Arkansas Issue 3, Initiative Process and Legislative Referral Requirements Amendment (2020) | $486,549.27 | $112,794.13 |
|
| Arkansas Issue 4, Redistricting Commission Amendment (2020) | $4,001,506.52 | $0.00 | |
| Arkansas Issue 5, Top-Four Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative (2020) | $103,192.85 | $0.00 | |
| Arkansas Issue 6, Practice of Optometry Referendum (2020) | $1,399,208.05 | $2,225,939.45 |
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. The Arkansas Legislature can only refer up to three constitutional amendments to the ballot each election year. The legislature's 2019 session ran from January 14, 2019, to April 24, 2019.[1]
Signature requirements
Signature requirements in Arkansas differ between statutory initiatives, constitutional amendments, and veto referendums. For an initiated constitutional amendment, signatures equal to at least 10 percent of the total number of votes cast for the office of governor in the last gubernatorial election are required. For an initiated state statute, signatures equal to at least 8 percent of this total are required. For veto referendums, signatures equal to at least 6 percent of this total are required. Arkansas held an election for governor on November 6, 2018. Following are signature requirements for initiatives in Arkansas for 2020:
- Initiated constitutional amendments: 89,151 valid signatures
- Initiated state statutes: 71,321 valid signatures
- Veto referendums: 53,491 valid signatures
Referral of 2020 constitutional amendments
The following table illustrates the vote requirements for the constitutional amendments certified for the ballot, the votes the amendment received, and how Democrats and Republicans voted on the amendment in each legislative chamber:
| Arkansas State Legislative Term Limits Amendment | Democrats | Republicans | |||
| Senate: | Required: 18 | Yes votes: 26 (74.3%) | No votes: 5 (14.3%) | Yes: 5; No: 2 | Yes: 21; No: 3 |
| House: | Required: 51 | Yes votes: 51 (51.0%) | No votes: 26 (26.0%) | Yes: 4; No: 10 | Yes: 47; No: 16 |
Not on the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Sponsor | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CICA | Coin-Operated Amusement Machines Initiative | Gambling | Authorizes coin-operated machines for amusement and/or entertainment for use by people aged 18 and older with tax revenues funding the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery | Arcade Arkansas |
|
| CICA | Independent Redistricting Commission Initiative (# 2018-135) | Redistricting measures | Creates an independent redistricting commission for state legislative and congressional redistricting | David Couch |
|
| CICA | Congressional and State Legislative Redistricting Commission Initiative (#2018-086) | Redistricting measures | Creates a redistricting commission for state legislative and congressional redistricting | Skip Cook |
|
| CICA | Redistricting Commission Initiative (#2019-014) | Redistricting measures | Creates an independent redistricting commission for state legislative and congressional redistricting | Nate Steel |
|
| CICA | Recreational Marijuana Initiative | Marijuana | Legalizes marijuana use for individuals 21 years of age and older regardless of residency | William Barger |
|
| CICA | Marijuana Expungement Initiative | Marijuana | Allows those convicted of crimes related to marijuana use, possession, cultivation, or distribution to petition a court for relief from the conviction (including expungement); establishes the Cannabis Conviction Relief Court to hear such cases | Melissa Fults |
|
| CICA | Arkansas Decriminalize Marijuana and Regulate Cannabis Industry Amendment | Marijuana | Decriminalizes marijuana at the state and local level; creates the Bureau of Cannabis Control to oversee and regulate the cannabis industry | Clair Danner |
|
| CISS | Online Initiative Petition Signing Measure | Direct democracy | Establishes a process for signing initiative petitions via the Internet | Briana Boling |
|
| CISS | Eliminate Sales Tax on Used Cars Sold for $20,000 or Less Initiative | Taxes | Eliminate sales taxes on used cars sold for $20,000 or less | Reps. Laurie Rushing and Jim Sorvillo |
|
| CICA | Establish Process for Recall of State Officials and General Assembly Members Initiative | Recall measures and Direct democracy | Establishes a process for the recall of state officials and general assembly members | Roderick Greer Talley |
|
| CICA | Prohibit State Sales Tax and Personal Income Tax Initiative | Taxes | Prohibits the state from levying a state sales tax or tax on an individual's personal income; imposes a 2% County and Municipal Tax | Roderick Greer Talley |
|
| CICA | Remove Slavery as Punishment for Crime from Constitution Initiative | Constitutional rights and Constitutional language | Repeals a constitutional exception on the ban of slavery that allowed for slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime | Roderick Greer Talley |
|
| CICA | Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative | Suffrage | Restores the right to vote for most people with prior felony convictions (except those with murder or felony sexual offenses) upon completion of their sentences | Roderick Greer Talley |
|
| CICA | State Legislative Term Limits Initiative | Term limits | Imposes six-year term limits on representatives and eight-year term limits on senators | Arkansas Term Limits |
|
| CICA | Repeal Authorization for Casino in Pope County Amendment | Gambling | Repeals the authorization for a casino in Pope County that was authorized by voters in 2018 | Fair Play for Arkansas |
|
| CICA | Marijuana Legalization Initiative | Marijuana | Legalizes marijuana use for residents 21 years of age and older | Melissa Fults/ Arkansans for Cannabis Reform |
|
| CICA | Authorize 16 Casino Licenses in 14 Counties Amendment | Gambling | Requires the Arkansas Racing Commission to issue 16 casino licenses in 14 counties and specifies which companies will receive the licenses | Arkansas Wins in 2020 |
|
Historical facts
- See also: List of Arkansas ballot measures
- A total of 48 measures appeared on statewide ballots in even-numbered years between 1996 and 2018.[2]
- From 1996 to 2018, an average of four measures appeared on the ballot during even-numbered years in Arkansas.
- The number of measures appearing on even-year statewide ballots between 1995 and 2018 ranged from two to six.
- During even-numbered years between 1996 and 2018, 73% (35 of 48) of statewide ballot measures in Arkansas were approved by voters, and 27% (13 of 48) were defeated.
| Arkansas ballot measures, 1996-2018 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number | Approved | Percent approved | Defeated | Percent defeated | Annual average | Annual median | Annual minimum | Annual maximum | |
| 51 | 35 | 72.92% | 13 | 27.08% | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 | |
State profile
| Demographic data for Arkansas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 2,977,853 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 52,035 | 3,531,905 |
| 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
- Elections in Arkansas
- United States congressional delegations from Arkansas
- Public policy in Arkansas
- Endorsers in Arkansas
- Arkansas fact checks
- More...
See also
- 2020 ballot measures
- List of Arkansas ballot measures
- History of Initiative & Referendum in Arkansas
- Arkansas signature requirements
- ↑ Arkansas Legislature, "2019 Regular Session Important Dates and Deadlines," accessed March 15, 2019
- ↑ A total of 51 measures appeared on statewide ballots between 1996 and 2018 during all years. In Arkansas, three measures have been on the statewide ballot during odd-numbered years between 1996 and 2018, which were on the ballot in 2005 and 2011.
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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