Arkansas politicians and their cronies were terrified by Issue 3. So when this tough state legislative term limits measure was approved for the ballot, foes of citizen-controlled government sued to kill it.
Agreeing that thousands of already-approved signatures of bonafide registered voters must be tossed because of new, legislatively-imposed, byzantine, legal technicalities, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled that the measure was unsuited for ballot. Yet it was too late to pull it.
The vote simply wouldn’t count, that’s all.
So, why was Issue 3 proposed?
A few years earlier, in 2014, lawmakers had posted a deceptive ballot question consisting of a laundry list of “ethics reforms.” Carefully obscured in the measure was a massive increase in legislative tenure. Sadly, the scam succeeded and voters passed the measure, which allows legislators now to serve up to 16 years (or more) in one seat.
To fix this, Issue 3 sought to impose a maximum of three two-year terms in the house, two four-year terms in the senate, and ten years on overall legislative service. It would also have prohibited lawmakers from sending future term limits measures to the ballot.
After November 6, votes on Issue 3 did get reported in at least some counties. Max Brantley of the Arkansas Times notes that in Pulaski, Washington, and Pope Counties, the Yes vote for 3 exceeds 75 percent. I’m sure these counties are representative.
“I think the term limits crowd should try again,” Brantley says, “if the state motto is to be Regnat Populus rather than Regnat Lobbyist.”
Agreed.
Let the people rule.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
1 reply on “Suppressed Measure Woulda Won”
Arkansas doesn’t have the market cornered on fraud. The voters in California qualified, with more than enough signatures, a measure for the ballot to repeal a legislatively imposed fuel and registration tax on vehicles, and restrict the imposition of future legislatively imposed taxes. The popular initiative was titled as a repeal of these taxes, and a future taxing restriction on the legislature, given the already near highest auto and fuel fees in the country. Needless to say, the legislature, and those feeding a the public trough didn’t like the initiative whereby the voters would restrain the excessive government spending .
No problem, the corrupt Secretary of State, worded the measure on the ballot as a reduction of road maintenance fees that would cause bridges to fall, and potholes remaining unrepaired, notwithstanding the fact the prior fuel taxes and registration fees produced more than enough money to take care of these repairs, except the current funds were being diverted for purposes, other than road maintenance, or directly related highway costs. And the California Highway Departments was already bloated with unproductive overhead, and alleged transportation expenses not related to highways and highway maintenance.
The measure was defeated by the opposition that spent at least ten times the amount of the proponents on deceptive ads, and deceptive wording by the Secretary of State. In spite of all, the deceptively worded measure was rejected by a relatively slim margin. So the corrupt legislature and entities benefitting by the excessive tax and fee increases got their way, at the expense of all California residents.