In Arkansas, the ballot initiative process has long served as a vital tool for the people — a way to organize, speak out, and propose laws when elected officials fail to act. This form of direct democracy has given ordinary Arkansans a voice in shaping our state’s future.
But in recent years, that voice has come under attack.
Today, the ACLU of Arkansas, Elias Law Group, and Shults Law Firm filed a lawsuit on behalf of two grassroots groups — Protect AR Rights and For AR Kids — seeking to intervene in an ongoing federal case to defend the First and Fourteenth Amendment rights of Arkansans who engage in the ballot initiative process. The attached complaint challenges multiple laws that collectively restrict political speech and make it harder — and more dangerous — for people to participate in democracy.
These laws don’t just add red tape. They criminalize everyday advocacy, limit who can collect signatures, and create chilling disclosure requirements — like forcing organizers to publish their home addresses. They even mandate that circulators recite specific government-drafted warnings, verify IDs, and stop collecting signatures once a form is filed — all while complying with an arbitrary and burdensome 50-county signature requirement.
The result is a system designed to intimidate, confuse, and discourage participation. The people most affected aren’t wealthy lobbyists or special interests — they’re the everyday Arkansans who knock on doors, speak to neighbors, and push for change from the ground up.
In Arkansas, the right to direct democracy is enshrined in the state constitution. For more than a century, this process has empowered citizens to check government power, advance popular reforms, and make their voices heard. These new laws threaten to dismantle that legacy — and that’s why we’re in court.
This case broadens the scope of existing legal challenges and frames these laws for what they are: a coordinated effort to silence dissent and suppress core political speech.
We’re standing with the people of Arkansas to protect their constitutional rights — and we won’t back down.
Read the full complaint and learn more about the case here.