LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — There are six weeks left until the big election in November, but Arkansas voters are asking about one particular state proposal that could affect residents of Pope County.
A constitutional amendment was approved in 2018, which authorized casinos in four Arkansas counties.
While people in Garland, Jefferson and Crittenden counties favored bringing casinos to the area, Pope County residents were less enthusiastic about the idea.
Statistics showed that 61% of voters leaned against the proposal.
"The people of Pope County... voted ultimately against that constitutional amendment," UA-Little Rock Law Professor Joshua Silverstein said. "What some people in Pope County did is they got the signatures needed for another constitutional amendment."
Through Issue 2, they ask Arkansas voters whether the state should remove Pope County's casino license. This would also change the process a different county would go through to get what could be an available license.
"The horse racing board is the commission that deals with this," Silverstein said. "[They] could grant another license, but if they do the second thing that is required by this constitutional amendment is before the license can be granted, the community in which the casino will go has to vote in favor of doing it," Professor Silverstein said.
Regarding the against, the measure means the current constitution language would stand and Cherokee Nation's plan to build the "Legends" Resort near Russellville would proceed.
According to Silverstein, other factors must be considered, such as who benefits on both sides or how the legal fight between two Indian tribes will play out over which one gets that license.
Through the many playing parts behind Issue 2, Silverstein said it comes down to one question.
"Is local control sufficiently important here to delay for possibly another decade having all of this additional tax revenue for both local and statewide communities?" Silverstein said.
Issue 2 will be on November's ballot, and voters will be able to make their decisions, but according to Silverstein, there's "current litigation pending to throw Issue 2 off the ballot, and the vote just wouldn't be counted."
This comes after recent news of a brief filed by Attorney General Tim Griffin asking the Arkansas Supreme Court to rule that those votes can not be counted.
We will update this story with more information as it becomes available.