Arkansas Supreme Court Orders Signature Count for Abortion Rights Measure

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas Supreme Court has mandated the state to begin counting signatures collected by volunteers for an abortion-rights measure, following a lawsuit from Arkansans for Limited Government. The court set a deadline of 9 a.m. Monday for an initial count of the signatures, which were submitted by the July 5 deadline. The campaign had gathered over 101,000 signatures, surpassing the required threshold of 90,704 from registered voters across at least 50 counties. In a statement, Arkansans for Limited Government expressed satisfaction with the court's decision, emphasizing the importance of direct democracy and the voices of the voters who supported the petition. However, Attorney General Tim Griffin criticized the campaign, stating that it failed to meet legal requirements for counting signatures collected by paid canvassers, which has left the total from volunteers at 87,382—nearly 3,000 short of the necessary count. The proposed amendment, if passed, would not establish abortion as a constitutional right but would serve as a significant indicator of public support for abortion rights in a predominantly Republican state. Currently, Arkansas enforces a strict abortion ban, allowing the procedure only in cases where the woman's life is at risk. The amendment aims to prohibit bans on abortions within the first 20 weeks and to allow the procedure in specific circumstances, including rape and incest. Disputes have arisen between the campaign and election officials regarding compliance with a 2013 state law that mandates campaigns to identify paid canvassers and confirm that signature-gathering rules were communicated to them.