A Constitutional Amendment Providing That A Proposed State-wide Initiated Act Or Constitutional Amendment Shall Become A Law When Approved By A Majority Of The Votes Cast In The Election And A Majority Of The Counties Of The State.
Summary
HJR1017 proposes a constitutional amendment that would change how Arkansas statewide ballot measures are approved. For initiated acts and initiated constitutional amendments, the measure would have to receive both a majority of votes cast statewide and a majority of votes cast in a majority of Arkansas counties in order to become law. The resolution also states that a statewide referendum measure would be repealed if a majority of voters reject it, regardless of how many counties vote against it.
The bill further amends related constitutional provisions governing conflicting measures, legislative referrals of constitutional amendments, and the special authority to refer one salary-related constitutional amendment under Amendment 70. It would also make conforming changes to Article 5, Section 1 and Article 19, Section 22, and set the amendment’s effective date for January 1, 2027 if adopted by voters. The ballot title and popular name are included in the resolution for submission to the electorate at the next general election.
Impact
If adopted, HJR1017 would materially change Arkansas election and initiative law by adding a county-based approval requirement to statewide citizen initiatives and constitutional amendments. This would make it harder for measures with broad statewide support but weaker geographic distribution to qualify as enacted law, while preserving the existing statewide majority vote requirement. It would also alter the treatment of statewide referenda by making rejection by a statewide majority sufficient for repeal, without any county-majority condition. The amendment would directly affect Article 5, Section 1, Article 19, Section 22, and Amendment 70 of the Arkansas Constitution.
Sentiment
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no documented debate or vote history to gauge support or opposition. Based on the text alone, the resolution appears to reflect a structural election-law reform rather than a policy change on a substantive issue. The measure’s inclusion of a ballot title and popular name indicates it is intended for voter consideration if it advances through the legislative process.
Contention
The main point of contention is likely the added requirement that a statewide initiative or constitutional amendment must win in a majority of counties, not just statewide. Supporters would likely argue this protects geographic balance and prevents densely populated areas from deciding statewide policy alone, while opponents would likely view it as an additional hurdle that dilutes one-person-one-vote principles and makes citizen lawmaking harder. Another possible point of dispute is the asymmetry between initiatives/amendments and referenda, since referenda would still be repealed by a statewide majority alone regardless of county results.
Proposes temporary constitutional amendment allowing State constitutional convention convened to reform system of property taxation to propose statutory changes.
Proposes temporary constitutional amendment allowing State constitutional convention convened to reform system of property taxation to propose statutory changes.
(Constitutional Amendment) Provides for the election of constitutional convention delegates and vote requirements necessary for the adoption of a new constitution (RR SEE FISC NOTE GF EX)
(Constitutional Amendment) Modifies disposition of certain state revenues through repeal of the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund and deposits of certain revenue streams into the Budget Stabilization Fund (RRF INCREASE GF RV See Note)
(Constitutional Amendment) Provides relative to the application of state monies to the unfunded accrued liability of the Teachers' Retirement System of La. (EN DECREASE SD RV See Note)
Proposing An Amendment To Article Xvii, Section 3 Of The Hawaii Constitution To Specify That The Standard For Voter Approval Of A Constitutional Amendment Proposed By The Legislature Is A Majority Of All The Votes Tallied Upon The Question.