Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Deadline For Submitting Petitions For November Ballot Is Passed

STATE SEN. MIKE ROSS

DISTRICT 36

Last week was the deadline for submitting petitions to have initiatives placed on the November ballot. Only two groups turned in proposals one would abolish property taxes, the other would affect telephone rates.

Ballot titles and popular names for 13 proposals had been approved, but their supporters failed to gather sufficient signatures. Well-publicized issues like casino gambling, a lottery and elimination of the sales tax on groceries will not be on the ballot.

A group called the Arkansas Taxpayers' Rights Committee submitted signatures with a petition to place a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot. It would repeal property taxes, and it would authorize increases in the state sales tax to make up for some of the revenues that government entities would lose.

The Secretary of State will examine the signatures to make sure they are valid. To qualify an amendment for the ballot a petition must be accompanied by signatures of at least 71,684 registered voters. Spokesmen for the Taxpayer's Rights Committee said they submitted more than 98,000 signatures.

The amendment would require voter approval of tax increases. It would abolish county assessors and collectors offices, as well as the state Office of Land Commissioner. State tax officials have disagreed strongly with supporters of the amendment as to its total revenue impact.

School superintendents and tax officials maintain that the amendment, if passed, would decrease government revenues by $300 million a year. They say that schools would suffer much of that loss.

Supporters of the amendment dispute claims that it would devastate schools. They say the state enjoyed a budget surplus of $200 million last year, which would help offset any lost revenues. They say that elimination of waste in government also would save money.

The second petition submitted to the Secretary of State would affect the cost of telephone service, both for local calls and long distance calls. A group led by long distance companies submitted a proposed initiated act along with about 62,000 signatures.

Because the proposal is an initiated act, and not a constitutional amendment, it was necessary to submit 57,347 signatures. Proposed constitutional amendments must be accompanied by signatures representing 10 percent of the voter turnout in the most recent gubernatorial election. Proposed initiated acts must have signatures of eight percent of the voter turnout in the most recent race for governor.

When people make long distance calls, their long distance company pays an access charge to the local provider for use of lines and equipment. The initiated act, if approved by voters, would lower those access charges and thus lower long distance rates, supporters say.

Local telephone companies oppose the act. Their spokesmen say that access charges help keep down prices in rural areas, where it costs more to install lines and provide basic services. They say that lower access charges would make telephone service more expensive in rural areas.

The Secretary of State has 30 days to certify the petitions. If enough signatures are invalidated to make a petition fail to qualify, its supporters would get an additional 30 days to gather more valid signatures.

Under the state constitution, the deadline for submitting petitions and signatures is not less than four months before the general election, which will be November 3 this year. Therefore, the deadline was July 3.