Laws governing local ballot measures in Arkansas

Laws Governing Local Ballot Measures

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Terms

Initiative • Home rule • General law city • Charter city • Petition • Initiative petition circulation periods • Circulator • Paid circulator • Volunteer circulator • Circulator affidavit • Signer • Valid signature • Forged signature • Fraudulent signature • Invalid signature • Electronic petition signature • Legislative alteration • Registered voter

This page describes the state constitutional provisions and statutes that govern local ballot measures in Arkansas. Jurisdictions often establish additional rules within the parameters of state law; those can be found in local ordinances and home-rule charters.

Explore the links below for more information:

• Laws addressing local ballot measure powers in Arkansas
• General requirements for local ballot measures
• Rules for citizen-initiated local ballot measures
• Rules for referred local ballot measures

Law

The Arkansas Constitution and Code of Arkansas establish the rules that govern local ballot measures in the state.

• Constitution: Article 5, Section 1
• Statutes: A.C. 14-14-914, A.C. 14-14-915, A.C. 14-14-916, A.C. 14-14-917, A.C. 14-14-918, A.C. 14-14-919, A.C. 14-55-301, and A.C. 14-14-905

General

The following outlines the general rules that govern local ballot measures in Arkansas, including both citizen-initiated measures and referred measures from local government bodies.

• Election timing: In Arkansas, election timing differs depending on how the measure was placed on the ballot:
  • Initiatives:
    • Initiative petition measures can only be placed on the ballot during a regular general election when state and county officers are elected for regular terms.
  • Referendums:
    • The authority to establish the necessity for a special election on a referendum measure is vested in the electors through the provisions of the petition. If the petition does not specify a special election, the county court may determine the necessity for one, and the quorum court may compel the county court to call a special election by resolution.

• Vote requirements: All local ballot measures in Arkansas require a simple majority vote to be approved.

• Required ballot measures:
  • Amendment 62 of the Arkansas Constitution requires that all capital improvement bonds must be submitted to and approved by voters before they pass into law.
  • A.C. 26-78-111 mandates that revenue bonds may only be issued if a majority of voters of the municipality or county approve it.

• Quorum Court Authority: Measures approved by voters can be amended or repealed by a two-thirds vote of the whole number of justices comprising a quorum court.

What is a quorum court? A quorum court is the elected legislative body of a county in Arkansas, comparable to what other states call a county board of commissioners, county council, or board of supervisors. Members of a quorum court are referred to as justices of the peace.

Initiatives

The following outlines the general rules that govern local citizen-initiated ballot measures in Arkansas.

• Authority: Article 5, Section 1 of the Arkansas Constitution grants voters the powers of initiative and referendum at the local level.

• Signatures:
  • In local municipalities, such as cities or towns, the number of signatures required for initiatives and referendums is computed based on the total number of votes cast for mayor at the preceding general election.
  • In counties, both initiatives for amendments and veto referendums require signatures equal to at least 15% of the qualified electors voting in the last general election for office of circuit clerk, or the office of governor in areas where the electors have abolished the office of circuit clerk.

• Deadlines:
  • In municipalities, the deadline for filing initiatives varies based on the locality. However, Article 5, Section 1 of the Arkansas Constitution provides that they must be between 60 and 90 days before the election at which it is to be voted upon. For referendums, the petition must be filed between 30 and 90 days after the passage of the measure by a municipal council.
  • In counties, initiatives must be filed with the county clerk between 90 and 120 calendar days prior to the date established for the next regular election.

Referrals

The following outlines the general rules that govern local referred ballot measures in Arkansas.

• Authority: A.C. 14-55-301 grants local governing bodies the ability to refer proposed ordinances to the people for adoption or rejection.

• Deadlines:
  • In both counties and municipalities, ordinances must be referred to the ballot within 30 days of its adoption.

Laws governing local ballot measures in the U.S.

Laws governing local ballot measures in the United States

As state laws govern ballot measures, the rules are different from state to state. Click on a state below to explore that state's laws on local ballot measures.

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http://ballotpedia.org/Laws_governing_local_ballot_measures_in_STATE

See also

• Laws governing local ballot measures
• Laws governing local ballot measures in Arkansas
• Local ballot measures, Arkansas
• Counties in Arkansas

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