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Panel advances bill requiring signers be offered or read ballot title before signing; critics call it a barrier to grassroots petitions
Summary
Lawmakers passed a measure that would require petition signers to read (or be read) the official ballot title before signing. Supporters called it a protection against misleading canvassers; opponents said long ballot titles and field conditions will make compliance infeasible and deter volunteers.
Little Rock — The House Committee on State Agencies & Governmental Affairs advanced a bill that would require petition signers to read the official ballot title before signing or, if they cannot, to have it read aloud in the presence of the canvasser.
Representative Ken Underwood, explaining the bill on the floor, said the measure “requires that the canvassers not accept potential signer signatures until the signer has read the ballot title.” He said the change aims to reduce instances in which signers later claim they were misled about an initiative’s purpose.
Supporters said the requirement protects signers and the integrity of the initiative process. “This will place the burden on those who are going to sign the petition to be responsible to know…
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