A planned Arkansas vote to expand legalized gambling was effectively withdrawn by organizers after state officials challenged the process used in collecting signatures on a petition to pave the way for the constitutional referendum.
The Arkansas Times reported that Arkansas Wins in 2020 recently dropped its initiative to open 16 more casinos in the state. A court appeal was withdrawn, and the group will no longer attempt to be on a statewide ballot in November.
The move follows a decision by Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston that Arkansas Wins in 2020 failed to conduct appropriate criminal background checks on the paid canvassers who gathered the signatures. Also, the title of the ballot was not approved by the state Board of Election Commissioners, the Arkansas Times said.
Initially, Arkansas Wins in 2020 had been planning to appeal the recent rulings by state regulators.
Arkansas Wins in 2020 has filed a motion for a voluntary nonsuit and will not be taking further legal action. It is unfortunate that the Secretary of State’s office was unwilling to defend the will of the nearly 100,000 Arkansas voters who signed our petition and we believe our argument before the Supreme Court was valid. We look forward to benefiting the overall wellbeing of Arkansans during these uncertain social and economic times,” Taylor Riddle, spokesman for Arkansas Wins in 2020, said in a statement announcing the group’s decision.
The dispute between Arkansas Wins in 2020 and state officials also led the Arkansas Supreme Court to appoint retired Circuit Judge Kathleen Bell to act as an arbitrator over the disagreement.
Signatures on Petition Rejected
Arkansas Wins in 2020 presented 97,039 signatures to Thurston’s office in July, and the secretary of state’s ruling led to criticism then from Riddle.
“We have attempted numerous times to work with the secretary of state’s office on rectifying their concerns which we believe are invalid,” Riddle told the Democrat-Gazette last month. “Unfortunately, the secretary of state’s office has made it clear in their correspondence that they are attempting to let the clock run out on getting the nearly 100,000 signatures of voters certified. It is disheartening that the will of these voters is being blatantly diminished by an office that is supposed to advocate for voting Arkansans.”
To hold the vote on the constitutional amendment the group needed 89,151 valid signatures, the Democrat-Gazette said. State election officials held that 58,675 of the submitted signatures initially met the required guidelines.
A previously approved Arkansas constitutional amendment allowed casinos in Crittenden, Garland, Jefferson, and Pope counties, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
Arkansas’ three existing casino operators also opposed the vote to permit 16 additional casinos in the state. The three casino companies funded Protect Arkansas Communities, which opposed efforts to legalize new gaming properties.
Pope County Casino Dispute Continues
A legal battle between the Cherokee Nation Businesses and Gulfside Casino Partnership is ongoing over a planned casino in Pope County. Last month, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox ruled he will not intervene in the ongoing dispute between Gulfside and Cherokee Nation Businesses as to which casino operator should win the Pope County license.
https://www.casino.org/news/arkansas-casino-expansion-advocates-halt-process-to-hold-statewide-vote/