LITTLE ROCK A proposed constitutional amendment that would create a state-run lottery to fund college scholarships was approved Monday to go before Arkansas' voters this fall.
Secretary of State Charlie Daniels certified that the number of signatures on petitions for the proposed lottery measure met the state's requirement, and it can appear on November's ballot. Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, who proposed the lottery, said he hoped opponents would not try to challenge the measure in court, an option they have raised.
"Only an anti-democratic move by some other party to get this initiative thrown off the ballot would deny Arkansas voters the right and the opportunity to decide this issue for themselves," Halter said in a news conference at his office in the state Capitol.
Natasha Naragon said the secretary of state's office had verified that 91,149 signatures submitted were valid and from registered voters. Constitutional amendments require 77,468 signatures.
Arkansas is one of eight states that currently don't have a lottery; all but one of the six states surrounding Arkansas offer a lottery. Mississippi doesn't have a lottery but does allow casino gambling.
How much revenue the lottery will produce is a matter of dispute between Halter and groups that have lined up to oppose the lottery measure. Halter says the lottery will bring in $100 million annually. But a non-profit group, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, disputed that number in a report released in June that said the state would actually only see $61.5 million annually.
The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration has estimated that a lottery in the state would bring in $55 million annually.
Despite the conflicting estimates, the lottery's revenues will depend in part in how it's implemented if passed by voters in November. Lawmakers must flesh out the details and limits on the lottery with enabling legislation next year if the lottery passes.
Halter has formed a ballot-question committee, Hope for Arkansas, to campaign for the proposal. The committee said in campaign-finance reports that it raised $40,066 and spent $25,183 in June. The report puts its total contributions at $477,917 and leaves the campaign with $15,340 in the bank.
Three groups have filed paperwork with the state's Ethics Commission to campaign against the lottery proposal. One of those groups, the Arkansas Family Council Action Committee, has said it has not ruled out a legal challenge against the lottery proposal.
Jerry Cox, head of the council, said members of the group is still weighing whether to challenge the lottery proposal in court.
"I do think if a proposal is so incredibly legally flawed that the voters aren't going to know what they're voting for, then it warrants a review before the Arkansas Supreme Court," Cox said.
The secretary of state's office said that it tossed out about a quarter of the 123,961 signatures reviewed on the petitions. The office said that Halter submitted 134,387 signatures for the proposal.
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