LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — If you are heading to the polls on Election Day in Arkansas and are still unsure what the ballot measures are and what they mean when you vote for or against, we've have created an easy guide for both Issue 1 and Issue 2.
And while voters will see Issue 3—the medical marijuana expansion proposal—on their ballots, any votes cast for or against will not count due to a ruling by the Arkansas Supreme Court.
Information on these ballot issues was gathered using the Public Policy Center's ballot issues voter guide. You can read that by clicking here. We will update the article if there are any changes to Issues 2 and 3 due to ongoing court cases.
Issue 1 - Lottery funding for vocational-technical schools scholarships
This constitutional amendment would allow lottery proceeds to fund scholarships and grants to citizens of the state that are enrolled in vocational-technical schools and institutes.
This amendment was approved for the ballot by the Arkansas legislature, who are allowed to include up to three constitutional amendments on the ballot.
Lottery scholarships are currently used at two and four-year colleges and universities that are either private and public non-profit schools.
Voting FOR this means you would allow the lottery funds to be used for these types of scholarships.
Voting AGAINST means you would like to keep the lottery scholarship funding as it is.
Around 86% of those who were asked about the issue supported the measure, according to a Talk Business/Hendrix poll.
Issue 2 - Repeal casino license, countywide approval
You may have seen plenty of advertising—whether online, on television, or in your mailbox—that is both in opposition and in support of this amendment.
If passed, it would repeal the authority to issue a casino license in Pope County while also ensuring any new casino licenses require a local countywide special election.
In 2018, Arkansas voters approved an amendment which authorized four casino locations with one set for Pope County. This proposal would remove Pope County from Amendment 100 and would require a county's quorum court to call for a special election vote, which would then go to the Arkansas Racing Commission for licensing.
Voting FOR this means you want to remove the Pope County casino gaming license from the state constitution and any future licenses will have to be approved by a statewide vote and a special countywide election.
Voting AGAINST means you want to keep the Pope County casino gaming license and to not change the amendment in the state constitution.
The Talk Business/Hendrix poll showed that while 42% were for the measure, 30% were still undecided and 28% were against.
For a full voter guide, click here.