Federal judge rules Arkansas initiative restrictions unconstitutional
A federal judge on Tuesday declared unconstitutional state laws restricting Arkansas’ initiative and referendum process that are being challenged in court by ballot measure sponsors.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks also allowed a handful of claims in the case to proceed to trial and left in place a preliminary injunction that temporarily blocked some of the challenged laws.
The laws Brooks declared unconstitutional imposed requirements including that canvassers request photo ID from signers and that paid signature-gatherers’ home addresses be provided to the state.
The 62-page order, which comes just days before the July 3 deadline to submit petitions to qualify ballot measures for the November ballot, stems from a federal lawsuit filed against the secretary of state last April by the League of Women Voters who argued several new state laws violated the U.S. and Arkansas Constitutions.
https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/07/01/federal-judge-rules-arkansas-initiative-restrictions-unconstitutional/