Lawmakers respond to Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston rejecting abortion ballot petitions

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Responses from Arkansas lawmakers came quickly after Secretary of State John Thurston rejected the signatures submitted looking to put access to abortion on the 2024 ballot.

Thurston rejected the petition Wednesday, claiming the submitters Arkansans for Limited Government had not included statements identifying paid canvassers and showing those paid canvassers had proper documentation. 

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders used the rejection to denigrate the petition supporters.

“Today the far left pro-abortion crowd in Arkansas showed they are both immoral and incompetent,” the governor said.

Attorney General Tim Griffin spoke to the legal requirements that led to the rejection.

“As I have long said, changing the Arkansas Constitution involves a rigorous process, as it should, and it requires sponsors to adhere to all applicable laws and rules,” the attorney general said. “In this instance, the sponsors failed to follow the law, specifically a simple and straightforward affidavit requirement that other ballot committees followed.”