Little Rock, AR- The Secretary of State’s office determined today that Secure Arkansas, the sponsor of a proposed constitutional amendment to prevent persons unlawfully present in the United States from receiving certain public benefits, did not provide the requisite number of signatures to put their measure on the November 2, 2010 general election ballot.
Sponsors of proposed constitutional amendments must circulate petitions and gather 77,468 valid signatures, ten percent of the total number of votes cast for Governor in 2006, in order to place a proposed constitutional amendment on the 2010 ballot. At the conclusion of the official signature count today, an accounting firm hired by the Secretary of State to process the petition found only 67,542 signatures. When sponsors of proposed initiatives fail to submit the legally required number of signatures by the prescribed deadline, the measure is disqualified from further review.
Amendment 7 of the Arkansas Constitution prescribes the process by which voters may propose ballot initiatives. The deadline for submitting proposed constitutional amendments and initiated acts was July 2, 2010.
For more information about the Secretary of State’s office and the initiative and referendum requirements, please visit http://www.sos.arkansas.gov/elections.html
