On November 8th, vote AGAINST Issue 2.
Our state motto in Arkansas is “the People Rule.” One big way Arkansans do this is with ballot initiatives—a way for the people of our state to propose laws and constitutional amendments. Through ballot initiatives, a majority of voters tell the legislature what we want to get done. For more than 100 years, Arkansans have used ballot initiatives to pass laws that help our communities.
But now some Arkansas legislators are trying to make it more difficult for voters to pass laws. Issue 2 will be on your ballot this fall. It’s a legislative referendum that will end citizen rights to pass ballot measures with a 50% majority vote, raising it to a 60% vote requirement.
We all know that a majority is 50 percent plus 1. Since when does “majority rule” mean 60%? Unsurprisingly, some legislators want to make it harder for the public to make decisions directly. Politicians don’t have to win their elections by 60 percent. Lawmakers don’t have to pass laws by 60 percent. So why should the people be held to a different standard?
Issue 2 is about politicians trying to steal power from Arkansans. Essentially, they don’t like it when voters pass laws that they disagree with as legislators. As a result, they are trying to rewrite the rules to get their way. No matter where one falls on the political spectrum, your right to the ballot initiative process should be protected; politicians should not mess with it.
For AR People is a proud coalition member of Protect AR Rights, a group of grassroots organizations protecting Arkansans’ freedom to make decisions through the ballot. For more information, visit www.protectarrights.org.
In Arkansas, the ballot initiative process is a constitutional right. It’s how the people circumvent partisan division to get things done. But some politicians are trying to take this power away. It is up to us as Arkansans to defend our right to make important decisions about our community. Vote AGAINST Issue 2.
