Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston rejected a ballot measure for November that could have legalized abortion through 18 weeks.
Several states will have ballot measures regarding abortion in November, two years after the Supreme Court returned abortion law back to the state with the majority ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization — but Arkansas will not be one of them. Thurston notified the group spearheading the effort that they had failed to give a statement detailing the paid canvassers, meaning he had to reject their proposed amendment on those grounds.
“The first part of our review is to ensure that the sponsor has complied with all statutory requirements for submitting a petition. Because you failed at this first step, it is my duty to reject your submission,” Thurston said in the letter Wednesday.
He also added that even if the group, Arkansans for Limited Government, had provided the required statement, they would not have had enough valid signatures after removing those from paid signature gathers.
The group said in a statement they were “alarmed and outraged” over the news and claimed they had worked with the Secretary of State’s office for every step to ensure they would qualify for the ballot.
“Asserting now that we didn’t provide required documentation regarding paid canvassers is absurd and demonstrably, undeniably incorrect,” Arkansans for Limited Government said in a statement. “Arkansas law does not empower the Secretary of State to make an unfounded legal interpretation, which is what he did today by summarily declaring that we have not completed the steps for qualification.”
“We will fight this ridiculous disqualification attempt with everything we have. We will not back down,” the group added.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR) said in a post on X that “the far-left pro-abortion crowd in Arkansas showed they are both immoral and incompetent.”
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin defended Thurston’s decision in a statement Wednesday, arguing the group could only blame themselves for failing to follow proper laws and rules.
“As I have long said, changing the Arkansas Constitution involves a rigorous process, as it should, and it requires sponsors to adhere to all applicable laws and rules. In this instance, the sponsors failed to follow the law, specifically a simple and straightforward affidavit requirement that other ballot committees followed,” Griffin said.
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“Failure to follow such a basic requirement is inexcusable: The abortion advocates have no one to blame but themselves,” Griffin added.
Under current law, abortion is outlawed with an exception to save the mother’s life.