Laws governing ballot measures in Arkansas

Laws governing ballot measures
State
• Laws governing state initiative processes
• Laws governing state recall processes
• Changes to ballot measure law in 2025
• Difficulty analysis of changes to laws governing ballot measures
• Analysis of 2025 changes to laws governing ballot measures
Local
• Laws governing local ballot measures
Learn about Ballotpedia's election legislation tracker.
2026 » « 2024

This page provides an overview of resources addressing the laws and procedures that govern statewide and local ballot measures in Arkansas, including the initiative and referendum process, constitutional amendments, signature requirements, recall procedures, and campaign finance regulations.

Explore the links below for more information:

• Types of ballot measures in Arkansas
• Laws governing the initiative process in Arkansas
• Amending the Arkansas Constitution
• Laws governing local ballot measures in Arkansas
• Signature requirements for ballot measures in Arkansas
• Laws governing recall in Arkansas
• Laws governing state constitutional conventions in Arkansas
• Campaign finance requirements for Arkansas ballot measures
• Changes to laws governing ballot measures in Arkansas

Laws governing ballot measures in Arkansas

Types of ballot measures in Arkansas

• Arkansas has three types of citizen-initiated ballot measures: initiated constitutional amendments, initiated state statutes, and veto referendums.

• In Arkansas, the legislature can refer constitutional amendments, state statutes and bond measures.

• The Arkansas Constitution is one of eight state constitutions with no mechanism for calling a convention.

Laws governing the initiative process in Arkansas

• In Arkansas, citizens have the power to initiate state statutes or constitutional amendments, as well as the power to repeal legislation through veto referendums.

• The initiative and referendum powers were established with voter approval of Amendment 10 in 1910.

Amending the Arkansas Constitution

• Arkansas became a state in 1836. The current state constitution was ratified in 1874.

• The Arkansas Constitution can be amended in three ways:
  • Legislatively referred constitutional amendment: The state legislature can refer constitutional amendments to the ballot with a simple majority vote in each legislative chamber. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
  • Initiated constitutional amendment: Citizens can initiate constitutional amendments in Arkansas.
  • Convention-referred constitutional amendment: A state constitutional convention can vote to refer constitutional changes to the ballot.

Laws governing local ballot measures in Arkansas

• Article V, Part 1 of the Arkansas Constitution provides for initiative and referendum at the local level.

Signature requirements for ballot measures in Arkansas

• In Arkansas, the number of signatures required for ballot initiatives is tied to the total number of votes cast for the governor in the preceding election.
  • An initiated constitutional amendment requires a number of signatures equal to 10% of the votes cast for governor.
  • An initiated state statute requires a number of signatures equal to 8% of the votes cast for governor.
  • A veto referendum requires a number of signatures equal to 6% of the votes cast for governor.
• All signatures must be filed four months before the election in which the measure would appear on the ballot. Signatures for veto referendums are due 90 days following the adjournment of the legislative session at which the targeted bill was approved.

Laws governing recall in Arkansas

• Arkansas allows for the recall of some local officials but does not allow for the recall of state officials. Under state statute, the following local elected officials are subject to recall:
  • Mayors
  • Members of the board of directors
  • Commissioners of suburban improvement districts
  • School board members

Laws governing state constitutional conventions in Arkansas

• The Arkansas Constitution is one of eight state constitutions with no mechanism for calling a convention.

Campaign finance requirements for Arkansas ballot measures

• PACs that support or oppose ballot measures in Arkansas must register and report campaign finance.

Changes to laws governing ballot measures in Arkansas

See also: Changes to laws governing ballot measures

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

See also: Changes in 2025 to laws governing ballot measures

• Senate Bill 102: The bill applied state initiative requirements to local option election petitions, including requiring initiative sponsors to submit signed statements to county clerks at least 30 days before beginning signature collection including a final list of all names and addresses of each paid canvasser, as well as current state criminal history and criminal record searches certifying that canvassers have no disqualifying offenses; required paid canvassers to be United States citizens; and prohibited pay-per-signature for local option election petitions.

SB 102 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	29	5	1	87	7	6
Democratic (D)	2	4	0	8	7	4
Republican (R)	27	1	1	79	0	2

• Senate Bill 188: The bill requires sponsors within five days of a proposal being certified by the attorney general to submit to the secretary of state the full text of the proposal, the certified popular name and ballot title, and the attorney general's certified letter. The bill also requires the secretary of state to post this information on its website until the day after the next general election.

SB 188 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	34	0	1	97	0	3
Democratic (D)	6	0	0	18	0	1
Republican (R)	28	0	1	79	0	2

• Senate Bill 207: The bill required canvassers to notify petition signers, either verbally or in writing, that petition fraud is a criminal offense. If a petitioner fails to provide the notification, they would be charged with falsifying materials related to initiative or referendum petitions, a Class A misdemeanor. Class A misdemeanors are punishable by a fine of up to $2,500 and/or up to one year of jail time.

SB 207 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	25	9	1	67	26	7
Democratic (D)	0	6	0	0	17	2
Republican (R)	25	3	1	67	9	5

• Senate Bill 208: The bill required a photo ID to be presented to a canvasser prior to signing an initiative petition.

SB 208 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	26	6	3	70	24	6
Democratic (D)	0	6	0	0	17	2
Republican (R)	26	0	3	70	7	4

• Senate Bill 209: Allow the secretary of state to disqualify signatures collected by a canvasser if the secretary of states finds 'by a preponderance of evidence' that the canvasser violated any state laws related to canvassing

SB 209 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	26	6	3	62	29	9
Democratic (D)	0	6	0	0	19	0
Republican (R)	26	0	3	62	10	9

• Senate Bill 210: The bill required a petition signer to read the ballot title in the presence of a canvasser or have the ballot title read aloud to them by the canvasser prior to signing a petition.

SB 210 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	22	10	3	57	33	10
Democratic (D)	0	6	0	0	19	0
Republican (R)	22	4	3	57	14	10

• Senate Bill 211: The bill required canvassers to submit a sworn affidavit in order to have signatures counted to the secretary of state certifying that the canvasser complied with all laws related to canvassing, perjury, forgery, and fraudulent practices in signature gathering.

SB 211 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	24	9	2	65	27	8
Democratic (D)	0	6	0	0	19	0
Republican (R)	24	3	2	65	8	8

• Senate Bill 351: The bill required ballot question campaign signage, literature, and other campaign materials to include a "Paid for by" statement specifying the committee that made the expenditure.

SB 351 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	34	0	1	97	0	3
Democratic (D)	6	0	0	19	0	0
Republican (R)	28	0	1	78	0	3

• Senate Bill 551: Require signers of local option election petitions to read the ballot title in the presence of a canvasser or have it read to them; require canvassers to notify signers that petition fraud is a criminal offense; require canvassers to submit a sworn affidavit that signers read the ballot title in their presence.

SB 551 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	18	9	8	71	20	9
Democratic (D)	0	5	1	5	12	2
Republican (R)	18	4	7	66	8	7

• Senate Bill 584: Require sponsors and canvassers to file required documentation to the county clerk as well as the secretary of state; requires the local ballot initiative or referendum to contain the full ballot title at the top of each signature page.

SB 584 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	32	0	3	73	20	7
Democratic (D)	5	0	1	4	13	2
Republican (R)	27	0	2	69	7	5

• House Bill 1221: The bill provided that signatures for an initiative or referendum petition expire on the date of the next general election following certification of the ballot language; provide that certified ballot language expires on the date of the next general election.

HB 1221 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	25	8	2	75	14	11
Democratic (D)	0	6	0	2	13	4
Republican (R)	25	2	2	73	1	7

• House Bill 1222: The bill allowed the attorney general to reject proposed initiatives if the attorney general determines that the proposal conflicted with the U.S. Constitution or federal laws. The bill also prohibited sponsors from filing conflicting measures—defined as two or more petitions concerning the same subject, having the same general purpose, and containing different language in the text—targeting the same election unless the sponsor had previously filed a petition that was rejected.

HB 1222 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	25	8	2	62	30	8
Democratic (D)	0	6	0	0	17	2
Republican (R)	25	2	2	62	13	6

• House Bill 1574: The bill required paid canvassers to be residents of the state and to live in the state.

HB 1574 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	25	8	1	76	16	8
Democratic (D)	0	6	0	1	14	4
Republican (R)	25	2	1	75	2	4

• House Bill 1637: The bill required fiscal impact statements for initiative petitions and legislatively referred constitutional amendments and require fiscal impact statements to be included on the ballot.

HB 1637 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	27	6	1	80	14	6
Democratic (D)	0	6	0	1	14	4
Republican (R)	27	0	1	79	0	2

• House Bill 1713: The bill prohibited the attorney general from certifying an initiative's ballot title if it is above an eighth-grade reading level as determined by the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level formula as it existed on January 1, 2025.

HB 1713 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	29	5	5	60	23	17
Democratic (D)	2	4	4	0	17	2
Republican (R)	27	1	1	60	6	15

• House Bill 1837: Prohibits foreign nationals from donating directly or indirectly to ballot measure committees; requires ballot question committees and treasurers to affirm on campaign finance reports that the ballot question committee has not knowingly or willingly received contributions or expenditures from a prohibited source.

HB 1837 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	34	0	1	87	5	8
Democratic (D)	5	0	1	8	5	6
Republican (R)	29	0	0	79	0	2

• House Bill 1933: Establishes a process for recalling school district board of directors.

HB 1933 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	33	2	0	74	18	8
Democratic (D)	4	2	0	6	11	2
Republican (R)	29	0	0	68	7	6

See also: Changes in 2024 to laws governing ballot measures

The Arkansas State Legislature did not pass legislation concerning ballot measures in 2024.

See also: Changes in 2023 to laws governing ballot measures

• House Bill 1027: The bill required voter approval for a county government to enact a new or increase an existing local sales tax on hotels or prepared food from restaurants. Under HB 1027, a simple majority vote of the electorate is required for the tax to take effect.

HB 1027 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	31	0	4	96	0	4
Democratic (D)	3	0	3	16	0	2
Republican (R)	28	0	1	80	0	2

• House Bill 1320: The bill required initiative sponsors to submit drafts to the Arkansas attorney general, rather than the Board of Election Commissioners. Under HB 1320, the attorney general is responsible for approving, rejecting, or substituting the ballot title and popular name for each initiative within 10 days of receiving a draft.

HB 1320 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	35	0	0	97	0	3
Democratic (D)	6	0	0	17	0	1
Republican (R)	29	0	0	80	0	2

• House Bill 1419: The legislation increased the number of counties where a minimum number of signatures for a citizen-initiated measure must come from. This is known as a distribution requirement. Under HB 1419, a certain number of signatures must come from at least 50 of 75 counties. Previously, the requirement was at least 15 of 75 counties.

HB 1419 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	21	8	6	79	19	2
Democratic (D)	0	6	0	0	17	1
Republican (R)	21	2	6	79	2	1

• State Sen. Jim Dotson (R-34) said, "The purpose of this would be to ensure that we're getting representation from all across the state, not just large urban areas but rural counties as well, and having a lot of input into the process."
• State Sen. Greg Leding (D-30), who voted against the bill, said, "The voters have made it absolutely clear that they do not want the Legislature making it harder for them to get things on the ballot, and I think we should listen to them."
• State Sen. Bryan King (R-28) and the League of Women Voters of Arkansas sued Secretary of State John Thurston, asking the 6th Judicial Circuit Court to block HB 1419 as violating the Arkansas Constitution.

• House Bill 1510: The legislation eliminated some special election dates for local ballot measures. Before HB 1510, local ballot measure special election dates could be held on the second Tuesday of May, August, or November, as well as March during presidential election years and February during other years. HB 1510 eliminated these dates, except for March in November during a presidential election year, and May and November during other years. The legislation provided a method for calling emergency special elections for local ballot measures.

HB 1510 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	30	4	1	74	16	10
Democratic (D)	2	4	0	1	15	2
Republican (R)	28	0	1	73	1	8

• Senate Bill 377: Under SB 377, certain interferences with initiative petitions became Class A misdemeanors, such as changing someone else's signature and paying a person to not sign a petition. The legislation also required paid petition blockers, defined as persons or entities that pay people to interfere with a canvasser's attempt to solicit or obtain a signature, to register with the state, and to undergo criminal history checks.

SB 377 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	33	0	2	90	0	10
Democratic (D)	5	0	2	14	0	4
Republican (R)	28	0	2	76	0	6

See also: Changes in 2022 to laws governing ballot measures

The Arkansas State Legislature did not pass legislation concerning ballot measures in 2022.

See also: Changes in 2021 to laws governing ballot measures

• House Joint Resolution 1005 (Issue 2): Voters rejected the constitutional amendment at the election on November 8, 2022. HJR 1005 would have required a 60% vote from voters to adopt constitutional amendments and citizen-initiated state statutes.

• Senate Bill 614: The legislation enacted several changes to signature gathering requirements. SB 614 banned paying circulators based on the number of signatures gathered and required circulators to be state residents and citizens. The legislation also expanded the criteria for disqualifying individuals from serving as signature gatherers to include certain criminal offenses, such as sexual offenses, trespassing, vandalism, and theft.

See also: Changes in 2020 to laws governing ballot measures

The Arkansas State Legislature did not pass legislation concerning ballot measures in 2020.

See also: Changes in 2019 to laws governing ballot measures

• House Joint Resolution 1008 (Issue 3): Voters rejected the constitutional amendment on November 3, 2020. The constitutional amendment would have changed the following:

• increased the signature distribution requirement for initiatives from requiring a certain number of signatures from 15 counties to a certain number of signatures from 45 counties;
• changed the signature submission deadline from four months before the general election to January 15 of the election year;
• eliminated the cure period for initiative signature submissions;
• required legal challenges to ballot measure to be filed no later than April 15 of the election year; and
• required a three-fifths vote, instead of a simple majority, of the Legislature to refer a proposed constitutional amendment to voters.

• Senate Bill 346: The legislation transferred the power to approve a filed initiative, including the initiative's ballot title and popular name, from the attorney general to the Arkansas Board of Election Commissioners. SB 346 also changed the timeline for certifying a ballot title and popular name until after the required number of signatures have been submitted.

See also: Changes in 2018 to laws governing ballot measures

The Arkansas State Legislature did not pass legislation concerning ballot measures in 2018.

See also

• Laws governing ballot measures

Footnotes

Laws governing ballot measures in the United States

Laws governing ballot measures

Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming

Changes to laws governing ballot measures

Types of ballot measures

Citizen-initiated ballot measures • Legislatively referred ballot measures • Automatically referred ballot measures • Commission-referred ballot measures • Convention-referred constitutional amendments

Ballot measure policy terms

Glossary of ballot measure policy terms