Lawmakers respond to Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston rejecting abortion ballot petitions

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Responses from Arkansas lawmakers came quickly after Secretary of State John Thurston rejected the signatures submitted looking to put access to abortion on the 2024 ballot.

Thurston rejected the petition Wednesday, claiming the submitters Arkansans for Limited Government had not included statements identifying paid canvassers and showing those paid canvassers had proper documentation.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders used the rejection to denigrate the petition supporters.

“Today the far left pro-abortion crowd in Arkansas showed they are both immoral and incompetent,” the governor said.

Attorney General Tim Griffin spoke to the legal requirements that led to the rejection.

“As I have long said, changing the Arkansas Constitution involves a rigorous process, as it should, and it requires sponsors to adhere to all applicable laws and rules,” the attorney general said. “In this instance, the sponsors failed to follow the law, specifically a simple and straightforward affidavit requirement that other ballot committees followed.”

Griffin continued that the group’s not following the submission requirements was “inexcusable.”

Arkansas Senate Majority Leader Sen. Blake Johnson (R-Corning) expressed relief at the rejection, adding that he was happy a second group could not add a challenge to Arkansas LEARNS to the November ballot after not gathering enough signatures.

“Our unborn babies will continue to be protected and the next generation will receive the educational freedom they deserve,” Johnson said.

Those who had supported the amendment being on the ballot had a different view of Wednesday's announcement.

Arkansas Senate Minority Leader Sen. Greg Leding (R-Fayetteville) spoke to the amendment’s inevitability.

“If the Arkansas Abortion Amendment in fact fails to make the ballot this November, remember that more than 100,000 Arkansans from all across our state signed their names in support of restoring access to abortion in Arkansas,” Leding said. “Republicans cheering today's news aren't joyful because the Arkansas Abortion Amendment failed to find support, or because voters rejected it; they're cheering a technicality that might keep their total ban on abortion in place just a little longer.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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