Arkansas is sued for rejecting petitions on an abortion-rights ballot measure
Arkansas is being sued for rejecting petitions in favor of a proposed ballot measure to scale back the state’s abortion ban
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas is being sued for rejecting petitions in favor of a proposed ballot measure to scale back the state's abortion ban, with supporters asking the state Supreme Court on Tuesday to order officials to start counting more than 100,000 signatures from people who back amending the constitution.
The ballot measure wouldn't make abortion a constitutionally protected right, but it would limit when abortion can be banned. Giving voters a chance to weigh in on the state's ban would test support for abortion rights in Arkansas, where top elected officials regularly promote their opposition to the procedure.
Had they all been verified, the signatures submitted on the petitions would have been enough to get the measure on the November ballot. Arkansans for Limited Government, the group supporting the proposed constitutional amendment, asked the court to reverse the state’s decision. The group also wants the court to make Secretary of State John Thurston's office begin counting.
The secretary of state’s office said on July 10 that the group didn’t submit required statements related to the paid signature gatherers it used. The group has said the documentation it submitted — which included a list of the gatherers — did meet the legal requirements.
