Arkansas Secretary of State completes signature count for abortion amendment
On Axios.
www.axios.com/…
State of play: About 91,000 signatures are needed for the amendment to make the November ballot.
- AFLG said that the Secretary of State's office counted 102,730 total signatures, 87,675 of which were collected by volunteer canvassers.
- In one scenario, the court could throw out signatures gathered by paid canvassers — roughly 15,000 — which would likely trigger a 30-day "cure" period to allow AFLG to gather the shortfall of about 3,400.
So I am not exactly sure what happens if the court accepts 102,730 signatures on this preliminary count. In my understanding these signatures have been counted but not vetted and some could be removed.
One thing I am sure of is that the petition has crossed another hurdle and that the Arkansas Supreme Court is, at least for now, overseeing the procedure.
This story is also being covered in White River Now.
Arkansas Secretary of State counts 87K+ signatures for proposed abortion amendment
Next steps uncertain
AFLG said in a statement Thursday that it appreciated Thurston’s office fulfilling the court’s order.
“Our optimism remains alive but cautious as we wait for the Arkansas Supreme Court to issue further guidance,” the group said.
The ballot question committee filed a motion to fast-track its case and for emergency relief along with its initial legal complaint. The court has not responded to the motion for emergency relief, which would require Thurston to continue the process of verifying the voter registration status of the people who signed the petition while the legal case is still pending.
Sponsors of proposed ballot measures can be allowed more time to submit additional signatures if the initial submission contains valid signatures from registered voters equal to at least 75% of the overall required number of signatures and 75% of the required number from at least 50 counties.
So there you go. The issue is on Axios drawing national attention. The Secretary Of State did turn in a count although it is still uncertain whether the court will allow the signatures collected by paid canvassers.
There are other uncertainties but we have definitely crossed another hurdle. We’ll know more on Monday, July 29, when the court meets at 9:00 AM.
Action!
Now that Kamala Harris is the presumptive nominee I have a new action point.
Wouldn’t it be great if Harris mentioned the situation in Arkansas. It’s a perfect example of top Republican governance illegally fighting against abortion rights and voting rights/democracy, our two top platform items. And it’s not just Arkansas. It’s a national movement by Republicans to deny democracy to abortion rights activists that is happening and has happened in Montana and other states.
How do we suggest this? How do we get this placed in front of Harris? I can see her wanting to talk about this. It fits right in with her main talking points.
And, Lord knows, we need someone to shine a light on this situation in Arkansas. My first diary on this topic was titled We Need Help In Arkansas and that’s still the truth.
In the comments of a previous diary RandomNonviolence said “Is it possible that Mary Steenburgen, Billy Bob Thornton, or some other prominent people with roots in Arkansas would speak out? If Kamala Harris or Bill Clinton spoke out, would the folks at Arkansans for Limited Government (AFLG) be able to run with this ...” So, hat tip to RandomNonviolence. I added Tess Harper to the list.
Others helped with contact information.
Kamala Harris Website (You have to volunteer to work in a state to leave the home page. Priorities.)
actionnetwork.org/...
Email the office of the Vice President on a form.
www.whitehouse.gov/…
I contacted the Clinton Foundation here.
www.clintonfoundation.org/…
The Whitehouse Contact Page
www.whitehouse.gov/…
Hillary's contact info
www.hillaryclinton.com/…
The Clinton Foundation
www.clintonfoundation.org/...
Right here on DailyKos I am working with the Arkansas Kos group.
www.dailykos.com/…
Don’t forget to join.
Please add more/better contact info in the comments and send a few emails or fill out a few forms. We need to shine a light on exactly what Republicans are doing in Arkansas, Montana, and many other states.
Join the email list at arliberty.org. This will keep you abreast of the latest news from AFLG.
And donate
Donation page here, arliberty.org/… Merch page here, shop.arliberty.org
Even though they won their lawsuit in Montana there’s still a fight ahead to get the amendment on the ballot. You didn’t think the Republicans were going to quit their voter nullification just because a judge told them to? (rhetorical question)
Donate to the Montana effort.
mtreprorights.org
Rec this diary for exposure. I’m following this story and posting every day there’s news.
If you live in Arkansas and you haven’t registered to vote please do that now. If you don’t know how to register go to the AFLG website at arliberty.org. They will help you get registered to vote. We will need you to vote on the amendment after the signatures are counted and it gets on the ballot. (Speaking optimistically)
Here’s a good link for voter registration nationwide. If you aren’t registered register now. If you think you’re registered, check. Don’t wait until election day to find out you’ve been purged.
www.vote.org
Please post your news on this national issue in the comments.
Please add more action links and strategies in the comments.
There’s a reason why Republicans are doing this. If the amendments are put on the ballot they will pass. Republicans know this but they don’t care about voter’s rights any more than they care about abortion rights or women’s rights.
I’m doing the best I can to hold my mouth right. It’s been working so far.
Thanks
