A citizens group called Arkansas Term Limits submitted a new ballot measure to the state attorney general Thursday seeking to reinstate state legislative term limits of three, two-year House terms and two, four-year Senate terms.
Voters originally enacted these limits in 1992. Now, group co-chairs Tim Jacob and Bob Porto are trying to restore them after voters last year approved Issue 3, which extended the limits to allow 16 years in a legislative seat.
Speaking to reporters after filing the proposal with the attorney general, Jacob noted that in 2004, 70 percent of voters voted for term limits in all 75 Arkansas counties. He said Issue 3 passed in November because it was deceptive and unclear.
“Nowhere at the polls was the voter allowed to know (what they were voting for), it wasn’t anywhere,” Jacob said. “If it’s the most popular issue in Arkansas history — when it first passed, it was the largest ‘yes’ vote in Arkansas history — shouldn’t they at least have the decency to put it on the ballot and let people know? People are owed an honest ballot. It’s just deception — I don’t know any other way to describe it.”
Issue 3 bundled together a variety of issues including ethics, banning gifts to legislators and “setting term limits.” Fifty-three percent of voters approved the measure in November.
Jacob said he doesn’t foresee any problems getting the proposal through. If Attorney General Leslie Rutledge approves the wording of the measure, the group must collect 84,860 signatures by July 2016 in order for the item to appear on ballot in next year’s general election.
“We expect to succeed,” Jacob said. “Democrats, when they’re polled, support term limits; Republicans, when they’re polled, support term limits; moderates, when they’re polled, support term limits. The people who don’t support term limits are the lobbyists and legislators in Little Rock.”
Arkansas Business will update this story.
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