A campaign to enshrine the right to abortion in the Arkansas Constitution handed in its signatures to state officials on Friday, the deadline for ballot question submissions.
Arkansans for Limited Government, the group behind the measure, claimed to have collected more than 100,000 signatures, well above the required 90,704 needed to advance to the next stage.
Speaking to the Fort Smith Southwest Times Record, Rebecca Bobrow, the campaign’s director of strategy, acknowledged they were still 10,000 signatures short of their goal. “It’s going to be close and come down to the wire,” she said, calling it an “exciting/stressful race to the finish line.”
Just hours before the deadline, Bobrow texted the publication that more signature packets were still being received by the campaign. “It’s unbelievable,” she wrote.
The proposed constitutional amendment would prevent the Arkansas government from prohibiting, penalizing, delaying, or restricting abortion services after 18 weeks of fertilization, or roughly 20 weeks since the start of a pregnant woman’s last menstrual period. It would also permit abortions in cases of rape, incest, or fatal fetal anomalies, as well as those necessary to protect a woman’s life or from physical harm.
Currently, Arkansas prohibits abortion except in medical emergencies to save the life of a pregnant woman. If approved, the amendment would ensure continued access to abortion services in the state.
The Arkansas Secretary of State’s office now has 30 days to verify the submitted signatures and notify ballot question committees about their eligibility. If successful, the proposal could be certified for the ballot as early as August 22. The deadline for ballot measures in six states – Colorado, South Dakota, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, and New York – has already passed, with five of those amendments officially qualifying for the ballot. Initiatives in Nebraska and Arizona have also been submitted this week.
