About the Bills

SB207 | Sen. Kim Hammer and Rep. Kendon Underwood | Senate Committee on State Agencies & Governmental Affairs 
This bill would require that canvassers collecting signatures for a ballot measure inform individuals before signing that petition fraud is a class A misdemeanor.

SB208 | Sen. Kim Hammer and Rep. Kendon Underwood | Senate Committee on State Agencies & Governmental Affairs 
This bill would require that canvassers request and review a photo ID before allowing a voter to sign a ballot measure petition.

SB211 | Sen. Kim Hammer and Rep. Kendon Underwood | Senate Committee on State Agencies & Governmental Affairs 
This bill would require canvassers to file an affidavit with the Secretary of State’s office before the signatures they collected could be counted and would prevent them from collecting additional signatures after a campaign had submitted signatures to the Secretary of State’s office until the Secretary of State’s office determined the campaign met certain requirements

AACF Testimony on February 19, 2025, House Committee on State Agencies & Governmental Affairs

Christin Harper, Policy Director, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families

Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. I am Christin Harper, Policy Director at Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. And we believe that Arkansas families should have a say in major decisions that will impact their communities. That’s why we support the ballot measure process. And we ask you to please vote against SB 207. 

We understand that Rep. Underwood and Sen. Hammer believe this bill would prevent fraudulent activity in the ballot process. However, the more likely outcome of this bill would be to intimidate voters and, in doing so, decrease participation in the ballot measure process.  

We believe that the requirement outlined in SB 207 to inform voters of the illegality of petition fraud will scare away legitimate voters from signing. Voters will likely be afraid that if they do not complete the petition form just right, that they will be accused of fraud and be in legal trouble. This is, in part, because, as written, the acts of fraud the bill sponsors have stated they are trying to prevent are not listed. Voters will be threatened with a criminal offense and will not know what acts would constitute a crime. The requirement will be viewed as an intimidation tactic, and voters will likely just walk away rather than sign the petition.  

The vast majority of Arkansans already know fraud is illegal and are entering the petition process, not with nefarious intentions, but with a desire to participate civically in their communities and to support issues they care about.   

A better way to prevent fraud is to enforce current laws and to train canvassers to ask voters if they have already signed.  

We hope that you will please vote against SB 207. Thank you. 

AACF Testimony on February 17, 2025, House Committee on State Agencies & Governmental Affairs

Rebecca Zimmermann, Community Engagement Director, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families

Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. I’m Rebecca Zimmermann with Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. And we believe that Arkansas families should have a say in major decisions that will impact their communities. That’s why we support the ballot measure process. And we ask you to please vote against SB 207, SB 208, and SB 211. 

We have a good relationship with Sen. Hammer and are sure that he believes these bills are necessary to maintain election integrity. However, these, and his other proposed measures, will have serious consequences for voters attempting to exercise their constitutional rights.  

The ballot measure process has been the constitutional right of the people of this state for over 100 years. But repeated rounds of legislation have made the ballot measure process so unnecessarily complex that it can overwhelm the average Arkansan and prevent them from exercising this constitutional right. More than increasing election security, these bills’ main effect is weakening the power of everyday Arkansans by adding barriers that would prevent voters from participating in direct democracy.  

We believe that the requirement outlined in SB 207 to inform voters of the illegality of petition fraud will scare away legitimate voters from signing. Voters will likely be afraid that if they do not complete the petition form just right, that they will be accused of fraud and be in legal trouble. But the vast majority of Arkansans already know fraud is illegal and are entering the petition process, not with nefarious intentions, but with a desire to participate civically in their communities and to support issues they care about.  And, as written, the act of fraud Sen. Hammer has stated he is trying to prevent is not even mentioned. Voters will be threatened with a Class A misdemeanor and will not know why. It will be viewed as an intimidation tactic. 

SB 208 will increase the already dizzying amount of red tape involved in ballot measure campaigns. And there have been no specific instances presented where people have fraudulently assumed the identity of others to sign ballot measure petitions. This bill is a solution in search of a problem. If someone were to commit such a crime, they would already face criminal penalties under current law. 

Though in large effect, SB 211 will expand bureaucratic processes of the Secretary of State’s Office, it will also end the longstanding practice of allowing ballot measure campaigns to continue collecting signatures in the lead-up to the cure period. No evidence has been presented showing that the current practice is faulty or has led to wrongdoing. This bill would be another wrench thrown in the wheels of direct democracy efforts.  

Though these bills are likely well-meaning efforts on the Senator’s part to ensure Arkansas voters fully understand their responsibilities and that wrongdoing is not committed by ballot measure campaigns, the impact will be very different than the intention. The red tape this package of bills will create will stifle voters’ constitutional rights.  

We hope that you will please vote against SB 207, SB 208, and SB 211.