Arkansas Coin-Operated Amusement Machines Initiative (2020)
| Arkansas Coin-Operated Amusement Machines Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 3, 2020 | |
| Topic Gambling | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin Citizens |
The Arkansas Coin-Operated Amusement Machines Initiative was not on the ballot in Arkansas as an initiated constitutional amendment on November 3, 2020.
Measure design
This measure would have authorized coin-operated machines for amusement and/or entertainment for use by people aged 18 years and older. The measure would have created a 20% tax on net coin-operated amusement machine receipts with all revenues funding the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery, which provides college scholarships and grants to Arkansas residents.[1][2]
Text of measure
Popular name
The popular name for this initiative would have been as follows:[2]
| “ | The Coin Operated Amusement Machine Amendment to Article 19, Section 14 of the Arkansas Constitution[3] | ” |
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Support
Arcade Arkansas led the campaign in support of the initiative.
Arguments
- Talk Business & Politics reported that proponents said coin-operated amusement machines could be used at places such as at Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and American Legion sites. Jason Cline of Arcade Arkansas said, "Every day, veterans across the state congregate at veterans’ organizations, and this will provide the funding for these organizations to continue to offer entertainment and events for those that have honorably served our great country. This proposed amendment would be an added benefit to help reach veterans in Arkansas."[4]
Opposition
Protect Arkansas Communities led the campaign in opposition to the initiative.[5]
Opponents
- Arkansas Lottery Director Bishop Woosley[6]
- Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort[7]
- Delaware North, parent company of Southland Casino Racing[7]
- Saracen Development Authority[7]
Arguments
- Arkansas Lottery Director Bishop Woosley said, "This will ultimately result in diminished local control, increased instances of problem gambling, increased gaming competition and ultimately less money for Arkansas students."[6]
Path to the ballot
The state process
In Arkansas, the number of signatures required to qualify an initiated constitutional amendment for the ballot is equal to 10 percent of the votes cast for governor in the most recent gubernatorial election. Proponents must collect signatures equaling at least half of the designated percentage of gubernatorial votes in at least 50 of the state's counties. Signatures remain valid until the date of the next general election following the certification of ballot language. Signature petitions must be submitted four months prior to the election at which the measure is to appear.
The requirements to get initiated constitutional amendments certified for the 2020 ballot:
- Signatures: 89,151 valid signatures were required.
- Deadline: The deadline to submit signatures was July 3, 2020.
If the secretary of state certifies that enough signatures were submitted in a petition, the initiative is put on the ballot. If a petition fails to meet the signature requirement, but the petition has at least 75 percent of the valid signatures needed, petitioners have 30 days to collect additional signatures or demonstrate that rejected signatures are valid.
Details about this initiative
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| Coronavirus pandemic |
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- Arcade Arkansas filed this initiative on August 29, 2019.[8]
- On March 19, 2020, Arcade Arkansas suspended signature-gathering efforts due to the coronavirus pandemic.[9]
- On June 3, 2020, Arcade Arkansas announced that they were ending their signature-gathering campaign. Jason Cline, spokesperson for Arcade Arkansas, said, "When the COVID-19 pandemic reached Arkansas, the committee decided to take a cautious approach and suspended signature gathering in response to public health concerns. With a second wave of cases in Arkansas seemingly larger than the initial wave, the committee has decided there is a moral duty to stop signature gathering for the remainder of the 2020 cycle so as not to contribute to the spread of this virus."[10]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ My Arkansas Lottery, "Arkansas Scholarship Lottery," accessed September 9, 2019
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, "Coin Operated Amusement Machine Amendment," accessed September 9, 2019
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Talk Business, "Arcade Arkansas organizes for ‘amusement machine’ referendum with taxes for scholarship lottery," accessed September 9, 2019
- ↑ Arkansas Times, "Group forms to oppose gambling machine amendment," accessed February 21, 2020
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Sentinel-Record, "Arkansas lottery chief opposes 'amusement machines' effort," accessed February 24, 2020
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Arkansas Online, "Casinos back action to end ballot," accessed March 18, 2020
- ↑ University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, "State Ballot Issues in Arkansas," accessed September 9, 2019
- ↑ Texarkana Gazette,,"Signature gatherers forced to take hiatus; ballot proposals, candidates on hold," March 20, 2020
- ↑ Talk Business, "Arcade Arkansas to suspend campaign, won’t submit signatures due to COVID-19," accessed June 3, 2020
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State of Arkansas Little Rock (capital) |
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