Court Opinion

ID: 9776593
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 19:39:40.922923+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:32:39.924892
License: Public Domain

Tom Glaze, Justice, concurring; If nothing else is gained from the lottery and interest rate amendment challenges, surely it has become obvious that constitutional reform is necessary in this state’s procedures that provide methods to initiate, refer and propose constitutional amendments. Allegations of mistake and fraud attend the ballot title challenges of both amendments. In trying to sort through and to resolve such disputes, this court, in the majority opinion, points out that, in accordance with prior case law, it must decide the validity of the two ballot titles by using different legal standards or measures to determine if an amendment should be placed on the 1990 General Election ballot. Accordingly, the court applied a strict measure when reviewing the ballot title to the lottery amendment because it was an amendment 7 initiative proposal by the people. However, in this case involving the interest rate amendment ballot title, the court is legally required to apply a more lenient measure merely because the proposal is made by the General Assembly under Ark. Const, art. 19, § 22. Of course, the source of power (the people or the General Assembly) from which a proposed constitutional amendment comes has no relationship to or bearing on whether a ballot title on a voting machine or paper ballot can be read and understood by the voters. Certainly, no one would seriously argue that public officials should have greater discretion or latitude to mislead voters when wording ballot titles than do citizens who initiate constitutional proposals. In light of the last-minute circumstances by which these proposed measures come to this court for review, I have expressed my opinion that both proposed amendments should be placed on the ballot. See Finn v. McCuen, 303 Ark. 418, 798 S.W.2d 34 (1990) (Glaze, J., dissenting). In each case, a full text of the amendment had been published and the proponents and opponents of each amendment have dutifully sounded and revealed the good and bad points of these measures. As I said in my dissent in this court’s lottery decision, I have confidence that the voters will use their knowledge and common sense when casting their ballot on these important issues. But, aside from what might be the results of election year 1990 concerning these amendments, I am hopeful constitutional reform will result from these two ballot title challenges, so the people, by their own initiative or through their representatives, will rid us of similar disputes and controversies in the future. Hays, J., joins this concurrence.