The proposed legislation, known as the Direct Democracy Act of 2025, aims to amend the current procedures for filing ballot initiative and referendum petitions in Arkansas. This act will repeal the Ensuring Access for All Arkansans and Voter Protection Act of 2023, thereby eliminating existing requirements related to the verification of signatures for these petitions. Specifically, it removes the stipulations that mandated petitions to be filed from at least fifty counties and to bear a certain percentage of signatures from electors in each of those counties.

Additionally, the bill introduces new legal language that designates the act as the "Direct Democracy Act of 2025." By streamlining the petition process and removing previous verification requirements, the legislation seeks to enhance the accessibility and efficiency of direct democracy mechanisms in the state.

Statutes affected:
Old version HB1042 V2 - 1-16-2025 03:41 PM: 7-9-126(e)
Old version HB1042 V3 - 1-23-2025 09:52 AM: 7-9-126(e)
Old version HB1042 Original - 11-20-2024 03:44 PM: 7-9-126(e)
HB 1042: 7-9-126(e)