News & Notes - 2024 Ballot Issue Newsletters

What Issues were on the 2024 Arkansas Ballot?

Arkansas lawmakers voted in 2023 to put one proposed constitutional amendment on the Nov. 5, 2024 ballot. Additionally, two citizen-led groups collected voter signatures to place constitutional amendments on the ballot for voters to decide. 

Download the complete 2024 Arkansas Ballot Issue Voter Guide or click on the individual ballot issues below to read the fact sheet.

Issue 1 - A Constitutional Amendment to Provide that Lottery Proceeds May Be Used to Fund or Provide Scholarships and Grants to Arkansas Citizens Enrolled in Vocational-Technical Schools and Technical Institutes - Voters approved

Issue 2 - 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 - Voters approved

Issue 3 - The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2024 - The Arkansas Supreme Court struck from ballot after early voting started. Votes were not counted.

2024 Newsletters

Election Day is Near! Here is One More Chance to Study Up on Issue 1 and Issue 2 - November 2024
Polls open at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow, Nov. 5, for Election Day in Arkansas. Voting locations remain open until 7:30 p.m. though anyone in line at closing time can remain until they voted. Remember to bring your photo ID.

Supreme Court Invalidates Issue 3 - Votes Cast on Measure Won't Be Counted - October 2024
Two hours after early voting started Monday the Arkansas Supreme Court released a majority opinion saying votes cast on the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment will not be counted, effectively striking the measure from the General Election ballot.

Votes on Issue 2 Proposal Will Count After Supreme Court Rejects Challenges - October 2024
Arkansas voters will decide whether to eliminate the Pope County casino license from the Arkansas Constitution and to void any license issued before Election Day.

Sponsor Sues Over Issue 3 Rejection- October 2024
Sponsors of the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2024 filed a lawsuit Oct. 1 asking the Arkansas Supreme Court to ensure Issue 3 has a place on the November ballot.

Issue 2 in Hands of Supreme Court - September 2024
A judge appointed by the Arkansas Supreme Court to review legal challenges to Issue 2 on the November ballot determined the proposed constitutional amendment has enough voter signatures to qualify for the ballot. The judge's findings now go to the Arkansas Supreme Court, which will rule before Election Day whether Issue 2 remains on the ballot for voters to decide.

The Official 2024 Arkansas Ballot is Here- August 2024
The official state ballot showing what constitutional amendments voters will decide is now in the hands of county election officials. But what voters see Nov. 5 may change depending on the outcome of a lawsuit.

Count Abortion Petition Signatures, Supreme Court Orders - July 2024
Voter signatures were being reviewed and counted this week already for two proposed constitutional amendments, and now the Secretary of State's Office has been ordered to start counting discarded petitions submitted by sponsors of the Arkansas Abortion Amendment of 2024.

Casino Repeal, Abortion Access and Medical Marijuana Expansion Groups Submit Petitions  - July 2024
Aug. 22 is the deadline for the Arkansas Secretary of State to send the statewide ballot to county clerks. On Friday, sponsors of three proposed constitutional amendments submitted hundreds of thousands of Arkansas voter signatures to qualify their issues for November's ballot.

Canvassers Down to Last Days to Collect Voter Signatures Across at Least 50 Counties - June 2024
Logistical carnival. That's how one representative of an Arkansas ballot issue campaign described their expectations for the next week. Friday, July 5, is the last day for citizen-led ballot issue groups to submit Arkansas voter signatures for their proposed constitutional amendments and state laws.

Fight to Remove Casino from Constitution Pushes Past $1 Million - May 2024
We don't know yet which citizen-led ballot issue will be on the ballot this November, but we do know nearly $4 million has been raised to support or stop them.

Group Proposes Education Definitions, Equal Standards for Public Ed Funds in Constitution - April 2024
A coalition of Arkansas nonprofits are working together as a ballot issue group to ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment requiring schools accepting public funds to meet the same academic and accreditation standards. The proposal, known as The Arkansas Educational Rights Amendment of 2024, also would define what an adequate education entails in the state constitution if passed this fall by voters.

Local Newspapers, Drive Through Signings: Ballot Issue Groups Try to Reach Voters - March 2024
Ballot issue groups wanting to qualify their proposed constitutional amendments and state laws for the November ballot are fanning out across Arkansas to collect signatures in some familiar and new ways.

Medical Marijuana Sponsors Looking to Expand Access via 2024 Ballot - February 2024
Arkansas voters approved the creation of a medical marijuana program in 2016. Sponsors of a proposed constitutional amendment are seeking to expand that program to more people in 2024.

Election Year Kicks Off with Signature Petitions and Lawsuits over Ballot Issue Approvals - January 2024
After a flurry of rejected ballot titles and filed lawsuits, several ballot issue groups in Arkansas have reached the point where they can start collecting voter signatures to qualify their citizen initiatives for the November 2024 ballot.