The Arkansas Supreme Court has ordered the secretary of state to continue counting about 18,000 signatures for a medical marijuana expansion ballot initiative regardless of his argument that they’re invalid because of the manner in which the petitions were processed.
Secretary of State John Thurston (R) notified the Arkansans for Patient Access (APA) on Monday that after going through the 150,000 signatures submitted by the campaign last month, only 88,040 were valid, whereas they needed 90,704. Advocates promptly filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court challenging that determination and requesting an expedited hearing, which justices have now granted.
The secretary of state is facing a Friday deadline to consider the 18,000 signatures that he declined to count because the petitions were signed by representatives of a third-party canvassing company the campaign hired, as opposed to the amendment sponsor. While he must count the submissions, however, the measure’s fate still rests on how the court ultimately comes down on the legal questions surrounding the paperwork issue.
The campaign had also asked the court to appoint a special master to review the case, but that request was denied. Justices separately agreed to let the prohibitionist group Protect Arkansas Kids join the case. Opening
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