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Arkansas Gender Transition Procedures for Minors Referendum (2022)
| Arkansas Gender Transition Procedures for Minors Referendum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 8, 2022 | |
| Topic Healthcare | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Referendum | Origin Citizens |
The Arkansas Gender Transition Procedures for Minors Referendum was not on the ballot in Arkansas as a veto referendum on November 8, 2022.
This measure would have upheld or repealed Act 626, which was designed to prohibit gender transition procedures for individuals under the age of 18.[1]
Text of measure
Popular name
The popular name for this referendum was as follows:[1]
| “ | An Act Removing Parental Rights to Medically Care for their Children[2] | ” |
Ballot title
The ballot title for this referendum was as follows:[1]
| “ | An act prohibiting gender-affirming treatments and procedures for minors (even with parental consent) and medical advice, and denying funding and creating penalties for physicians and facilities providing these treatments and procedures, despite ample medical evidence supporting non-surgical treatments for affected children to delay the need for surgical procedures and suggesting the denial of such treatments will lead to these children attempting suicide, and in violation of the constitutionally protected right of fit parents to decide what is in their children’s best interests and provide for their children’s medical care in ways that properly address their health, safety, and welfare; being Act 626 of 2021 (HB1570).
An "Against" vote is a vote to reject Act 626 and protect and restore parental rights to medically care for their children, as such relates to gender-affirming treatments and procedures.[2] |
” |
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Background
Veto referendums in Arkansas
In Arkansas, bills passed by the state legislature can be put before voters through a veto referendum petition.
- Signature requirement: 6 percent of the votes last cast for governor
- Result of a yes vote: targeted law upheld
- Result of a no vote: targeted law repealed
- Successful veto referendum petitions suspend the targeted law until the election.
Path to the ballot
The state process
Signatures for veto referendums must be submitted 90 days after the final adjournment of the 2024 state legislative session. 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.
- Signatures: 53,491 valid signatures were required.
- Deadline for 2021 bills: 90 days following the adjournment of the 2021 session. The legislature adjourned on October 15, 2021, so signatures for referendum petitions were due on January 15, 2021.[3]
- Deadline for 2022 bills: 90 days after the adjournment of the 2022 session.
Details about this initiative
- Arkansans for a Unified Natural State sponsored this initiative.[1]
- Proponents did not submit the required number of valid signatures before the due date.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Arkansans for a Unified Natural State, "Referendum information," accessed July 21, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia Staff, communication with referendum sponsors, October 20, 2021
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State of Arkansas Little Rock (capital) |
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