Arkansas Statutes § 7-9-127 Interference with initiative petitions and proposed measures
Statute Text
(a)
Upon conviction, a person commits a Class A misdemeanor if the person knowingly:
(1)
Changes a signature other than his or her own signature on a petition;
(2)
Erases or otherwise removes a signature other than his or her signature on a petition;
(3)
Intentionally destroys or discards a signature other than his or her own signature on a petition;
(4)
Pays a person any form of compensation in exchange for not signing a petition as a petitioner;
(5)
Accepts or pays money or anything of value for the purpose of not obtaining signatures on a petition when the person is included on the sponsor's list filed with the Secretary of State under §
7-9-601
;
(6)
Misrepresents the purpose and effect of the petition or the measure affected for the purpose of causing a person to not sign a petition when acting as a canvasser; or
(7)
Pays a person any form of compensation in exchange for destroying a signature on a petition.
(b)
A person may be charged with a Class A misdemeanor for each violation under subsection (a) of this section.
(c)
(1)
A ballot question committee organized to support a ballot initiative may destroy or discard signatures or petitions collected as a result of its efforts if:
(A)
The reason for the destruction or discard is documented; or
(B)
The petition did not obtain enough signatures to qualify to appear on the ballot.
(2)
Actions taken by a ballot question committee under subdivision (c)(1) of this section shall not be considered a violation of this section.
History
Added by Act 2023 , No. 766 , § 1 , eff. 8/1/2023 .