(July 23, 2014) Little Rock, Ark. – Arkansas Secretary of State Mark Martin
announced An Act to Increase the Arkansas Minimum Wage did not meet the required 62,507 valid signatures after the verification process. They now have until August 18 to gather 15,107 more valid signatures to make the November 2014 General Election ballot.
In order to be considered valid, there must be sufficient signatures from 15 of the 75 counties across Arkansas along with an affidavit filed with us stating the number of Petition Parts and the total number of signatures.
Here is a list of what causes an entire page of petition signatures to be invalidated:
1. Photocopy, not an original;
2. Not signed by a Canvasser;
3. A petition part signed by more than 1 Canvasser;
4. Not signed by a Canvasser under oath;
5. Canvasser’s verification dated earlier than the date the petition was signed by a Petitioner;
6. Not notarized;
7. Lacking a notary seal;
8. A petition part is lacking a notary signature or is notarized by more than1
Notary;
9. A forged notary or Canvasser signature;
10. A notary notarizing his or her own signature;
11. A notary using the Great Seal of Arkansas;
12. Failure to attach a legible copy of the entire text of the measure to each
Petition sheet containing signatures;
13. Failure to attach the popular name and ballot title to each petition sheet containing signatures;
14. If litigated, a challenger may claim that the Canvasser failed to sign the affidavit in the presence of the notary;
15. If litigated, a challenger may claim that the affidavit of the Canvasser is false.
If the petition submitted for signature verification does not contain the required number of valid signatures of registered voters, the Secretary of State will notify the Sponsor, they will then have 30 days to do any or all of the following:
A) Solicit and obtain additional signatures;
B) Submit proof that all or some of the rejected signatures are good and should be counted;
C) Make the petition more definite or certain.
The Secretary of State will verify signatures up to 10% above the required number.
