Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1042 3
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By: Representative A. Collins 5
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO CREATE THE DIRECT DEMOCRACY ACT OF 2025; TO 9
REPEAL THE ENSURING ACCESS FOR ALL ARKANSANS AND 10
VOTER PROTECTION ACT OF 2023; TO AMEND THE PROCEDURE 11
FOR THE FILING OF A BALLOT INITIATIVE PETITION AND 12
REFERENDUM PETITION; TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING 13
STATEWIDE PETITIONS; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 14
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Subtitle 17
TO CREATE THE DIRECT DEMOCRACY ACT OF 18
2025; TO REPEAL THE ENSURING ACCESS FOR 19
ALL ARKANSANS AND VOTER PROTECTION ACT 20
OF 2023; AND TO AMEND THE PROCEDURE FOR 21
THE FILING OF A BALLOT INITIATIVE 22
PETITION AND REFERENDUM PETITION. 23
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 25
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SECTION 1. DO NOT CODIFY. Title. 27
This act shall be known and may be cited as "The Direct Democracy Act 28
of 2025". 29
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SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 7-9-126(e) and (f), concerning the count of 31
signatures for initiative petitions or referendum petitions, are repealed. 32
(e) In order to certify a measure for the statewide election ballot, 33
the official charged with verifying the signatures on an initiative petition 34
or referendum petition shall also verify: 35
(1) For a statutory initiative petition or referendum petition, 36 HB1042
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that: 1
(A) Petitions are filed from at least fifty (50) counties 2
of the state; and 3
(B) The petitions bear the signature of at least one -half 4
(½) of the designated percentage of the electors of each county represented 5
in subdivision (e)(1)(A) of this section; and 6
(2) For an initiative petition for a constitutional amendment, 7
that: 8
(A) Petitions are filed from at least fifty (50) counties 9
of the state; and 10
(B) The petitions bear the signature of at least one -half 11
(½) of the designated percentage of the electors of each county represented 12
in subdivision (e)(2)(A) of this section. 13
(f) If the requirements of subsection (e) of this section are less 14
than the designated number of signatures or counties represented by petitions 15
required by the Arkansas Constitution and statutory law in order to certify 16
the measure for the ballot and the deadline for filing petitions has passed, 17
the official charged with verifying the signatures shall declare the petition 18
insufficient and shall not accept and file any additional signatures to cure 19
the insufficiency of the petition on its face. 20
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