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Stacey McCullough
Director-CPED
Phone: 501-671-2078
Email: smccullough@uada.edu
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
2301 S. University Avenue
Little Rock, AR 72204
In the Weeds: Repealing Pope County Casino License and Requiring Local Elections on Casinos
Go into the weeds with us on a proposed constitutional amendment to remove Pope County as a location where a casino can be built in Arkansas. Find links and more information about the proposal.
We will publish a voter guide on all 2024 Arkansas ballot issues in October. In the meantime, this blog post shares information about this proposed citizen initiative.
Status: Sponsors submitted petitions for this issue on July 5, 2024. The Secretary of State's Office included this proposal on the statewide ballot issued to county election officials on Aug. 22.
Ballot Information
The popular name may be called the title by some people:
An amendment requiring local voter approval in a countywide special election for certain new casino licenses and repealing authority to issue a casino license in Pope County, Arkansas
Sometimes called a ballot summary, this is the information that appears on voter petitions and would appear on the ballot if the issue qualifies:
An amendment to the Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 100, § 4, subsection (i), to
reduce the number of casino licenses that the Arkansas Racing Commission is required
to issue from four to three; amending Amendment 100, § 4, subsections (k) through
(n), to repeal authorization for a casino in Pope County, Arkansas and to repeal the
authority of the Arkansas Racing Commission to issue a casino license for Pope County,
Arkansas; amending Amendment 100 § 4, to add subsection (s), providing that if the
Arkansas Racing Commission, or other governing body, issues a casino license for a
casino in Pope County, Arkansas prior to the effective date of this Amendment, then
said license is revoked on the effective date of this Amendment; amending Amendment
100 § 4, to add subsection (t), providing that if a future constitutional amendment
authorizes the issuance of a casino license in any county other than those issued
now or hereafter for Crittenden County (to Southland Racing Corporation), Garland
County (to Oaklawn Jockey Club, Inc.) and Jefferson County (to Downstream Development
Authority of the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma and later transferred to Saracen Development,
LLC), then the quorum court of each county where a casino is to be located shall call
a special election by ordinance to submit the question of whether to approve of a
casino in the county; amending Amendment 100 § 4, to add subsection (t)(1)-(3), setting
the date for the special election and requiring the ordinance calling the special
election to state the election date and to specify the format of the question on the
ballot as “FOR a casino in [ ] County” and “AGAINST a casino in [ ] County,” and,
“The question presented to voters must include whether or not a casino may be located
in the county”—“A casino is defined as a facility where casino gaming is conducted”;
amending Amendment 100 § 4, to add subsection (t)(4), requiring the county board of
election commissioners to publish the ordinance calling the special election as soon
as practicable in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the special
election is held; amending Amendment 100 § 4, to add subsection (t)(5), requiring
a majority of those in the county who vote at the election in certain counties where
a future casino is proposed to be located to approve of the casino at the special
election before the Arkansas Racing
Commission, or other governing body, may accept any applications for a casino license
in that county; making this Amendment effective on and after November 13, 2024; providing
that the provisions of this Amendment are severable in that if any provision or section
of this Amendment or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held
invalid, such invalidity shall not affect any other provision or application that
can be given effect without the invalid provision or application; and repealing all
laws or parts of laws in conflict with this Amendment.
Voters see the popular name and ballot title on Election Day. The full text of proposed amendments do not appear on the ballot.
The Arkansas Attorney General is responsible for certifying that popular names and ballot titles are free from misleading information. Only after this certification can sponsors start collecting voter signatures.
Date Certified: March 20, 2024
Sponsors must collect signatures from at least 90,704 Arkansas voters, with a certain percentage coming from at least 50 counties. The deadline to submit signatures is July 5, 2024.
Ethics Commission Information
Supporters and opponents of a proposed ballot issue are required to file paperwork with the Arkansas Ethics Commission upon raising or spending $500.
To see the financial statements filed by Arkansas Citizens for Transparency, go to https://www.arkansasethics.com/ and click on "LO-BQC, BQC, AND LQC FILINGS"
Use the drop down menu to find the group's name. Doing this will reveal their filings with the Arkansas Ethics Commission.
Websites
Websites for supporters and opponents will be added as they are known.