Arkansas election officials checking signatures of 3 measures vying for November ballot

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Supporters of proposals to expand Arkansas’ medical marijuana program and repeal a casino license turned in thousands of signatures on Friday to try and get their measures before voters in the November election.

Organizers of the initiative campaigns, along with an effort to scale back the state’s abortion ban, said they turned in more than enough signatures to qualify. Groups behind education and government transparency measures, as well as a proposal to exempt feminine hygiene products and diapers from sales taxes, fell short.

Election workers will spend the coming weeks checking the petitions and validating signatures. The proposed constitutional amendments will need at least 90,704 valid signatures from registered voters to qualify. The groups said they also met a requirement that they gather a minimum number of signatures from 50 of the state’s 75 counties.

The medical marijuana proposal expands a legalization measure that the state’s voters approved in 2016. The changes, if approved by voters, would broaden the definition of medical professionals who can certify patients for medical cannabis. The group behind the proposal said it gathered more than 111,000 signatures.

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