LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On Tuesday night, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled that the signatures gathered by supporters of an abortion amendment must be tallied up by Secretary of State John Thurston.
It was an order that came from a majority of the justices in a lawsuit filed by those supporters. The order calls on Secretary of State John Thurston to get an initial count of the signatures that were gathered by volunteer canvassers.
Just two weeks ago, Secretary Thurston rejected the entire petition from the group, Arkansans For Limited Government (AFLG), saying that the submission lacked a key piece of paperwork regarding paid canvassers.
The initial count will determine its next steps and has to be done by the morning of July 29, and the Arkansas Supreme Court will hold another hearing after that.
In response to the ruling, the AFLG said the "will of the people won."
"We are heartened by this outcome, which honors the constitutional rights of Arkansans to participate in direct democracy, the voices of 101,000 Arkansas voters who signed the petition, and the work of hundreds of volunteers across the state who poured themselves into this effort," the group said. "Today’s decision is reflective of our state motto: 'The People Rule,' and we look forward to that principle guiding the rest of the signature verification process."
Attorney General Tim Griffin also applauded the narrow ruling and continued to say that AFLG "failed to meet all legal requirements" for paid canvassers collecting signatures.
Secretary Thurston's office released a statement in response stating that they have seen the Arkansas Supreme Court's Order and that they will comply with the directive.