Arkansas secretary of state rejects abortion-rights ballot initiative
The Arkansas secretary of state rejected an effort to place a constitutional amendment enshrining abortion rights on the November ballot.
The Arkansas secretary of state on Wednesday rejected an effort to place a constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion rights on the November ballot, saying organizers failed to submit some required paperwork with its signatures.
In a letter to the organization behind the effort, Arkansans for Limited Government, Secretary of State John Thurston wrote that organizers did not submit statements that the group had explained various requirements about the signature-collection process in the state to its paid canvassers and did not identify those paid canvassers by name.
“By contrast, other sponsors of initiative petitions complied with this requirement. Therefore, I must reject your submission,” wrote Thurston, a Republican.
Rebecca Bobrow, a spokesperson for Arkansans for Limited Government, said that the group "will fight this ridiculous disqualification attempt with everything we have."
"We will not back down," she said in a statement, adding that her group had "worked with the Secretary of State’s office during every step of the process to ensure that we followed all rules and regulations."
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