Arkansans for Limited Government sues Secretary of State Thurston over abortion amendment petition rejection

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The group sponsoring the effort to put an abortion amendment before Arkansas voters has filed suit against the secretary of state over rejecting their petitions.

Arkansans for Limited Government (AFLG) filed suit Tuesday asking the Arkansas Supreme Court to override Secretary of State John Thurston’s decision to reject the signatures submitted by the group in an effort to place the issue before voters on the November 2024 ballot.

The group turned in over 101,000 signatures to Thurston’s office on the July 5 deadline. On July 10, Thurston rejected more than 14,000 of those signatures that he said came from paid canvassers, stating that AFLG had not turned in the legally required paperwork alongside the signature submissions.

On July 11, AFLG sent a letter to Thurston stating that it had turned in the required paperwork on June 27.

Thurston responded Monday that because the paperwork was not turned in at the same time as the signatures, it was invalid and the signatures could not be counted.

The suit asks the court to overturn Thurston’s decision, citing Arkansas law that AFLG maintains shows it followed state law in its submission. It is requesting an expedited hearing so its ballot question will be before voters on the November ballot.

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

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