Can the Arkansas AG certify a popular name and ballot title for an initiative petition without the sponsor submitting the full text?

Plain-English summary

Bill Kopsky, on behalf of For AR Kids, asked the AG to certify a popular name and ballot title for a proposed amendment to Article 14 of the Arkansas Constitution titled "The Arkansas Educational Rights Amendment of 2026." The submission included the proposed popular name and ballot title in both English and Spanish, but no text for the amendment itself.

The AG returned the submission. A.C.A. § 7-9-107(a)-(b)(1) requires the sponsor to "submit the original draft" of the proposed measure, including "the full text of the proposed measure." Without the full text, the AG cannot determine whether the popular name and ballot title accurately and impartially summarize the measure. He instructed the sponsor to submit the text.

The AG also flagged a second procedural issue. A.C.A. § 7-9-107(b)(2)-(3) provides that the sponsor's original draft "shall include … a ballot title" and "a popular name." The Arkansas Supreme Court (Cowles v. Thurston, citing Cherokee Nation Bus.) reads "a" as singular. Submitting two of each (one English, one Spanish) was a procedural irregularity, though the AG noted he could correct that one by substituting and certifying a single popular name and ballot title.

The AG made clear that this rejection was procedural, not substantive. Whether to certify a ballot title is unrelated to the merits of the proposed amendment.

What this means for you

If you are an initiative sponsor preparing a submission

Submit three things together: the full text of your proposed amendment, the popular name, and the ballot title. Use one of each. Do not submit translations as additional popular names or ballot titles; those are extra material the AG cannot certify in tandem with the original.

Without the proposed amendment's full text, the AG cannot compare the popular name and ballot title with the measure. This opinion does not address review of an incomplete or provisional draft.

If you advise initiative sponsors

The AG cites earlier opinions (2007-172, 2013-010) concerning submissions without proposed text. He also applies the rule, citing Cowles v. Thurston and Cherokee Nation Bus., that the sponsor may submit only one popular name and one ballot title. He says he could correct the multiple-title issue by substitution, but could not certify this submission without the measure's text.

If you are tracking ballot measures

The AG identifies Opinion No. 2024-033 as an earlier review of a proposal from this sponsor. In that review, he substituted and certified a popular name and ballot title. This opinion reports no later filing or certification.

Common questions

Q: Why does the AG need the full text?
A: Because the AG's certification job is to confirm that the popular name and ballot title accurately and impartially summarize what voters would be approving. Without the text, there is nothing to compare the title against. A.C.A. § 7-9-107(a)-(b)(1) makes the full text a mandatory part of the original draft.

Q: Does the AG ever consider the merits of the proposed amendment? A: No. The AG opinion is explicit: "My decision to certify or reject a popular name and ballot title is unrelated to my view of the proposed measure's merits."

Q: Can the AG fix a missing-text submission by adding text? A: No. The AG can substitute a popular name or ballot title under A.C.A. § 7-9-107(d)(1), but cannot supply the underlying amendment text. That has to come from the sponsor.

Q: Can I submit two popular names so the AG can pick the better one? A: The AG says the sponsor may submit only one popular name and one ballot title. He could substitute and certify a single version to cure the multiple-title problem, but could not certify this submission without the measure's text.

Q: What if I want my materials in Spanish for canvassing? A: This opinion addresses the submission to the AG. The sponsor submitted English and Spanish popular names and ballot titles, and the AG said he could certify only one of each. He did not discuss separate canvassing materials.

Q: How long do I have to fix the missing text and refile? A: The opinion gives no refiling deadline. It instructs the sponsor to submit the full text together with a proposed popular name and ballot title.

Background and statutory framework

A.C.A. § 7-9-107 sets the procedure for AG review of proposed initiated acts and constitutional amendments. The sponsor's "original draft" must include:

• the full text of the proposed measure (subsection (a)-(b)(1));
• a ballot title (subsection (b)(2));
• a popular name (subsection (b)(3)).

The AG then either certifies the popular name and ballot title as submitted, substitutes corrected versions and certifies those (subsection (d)(1)), or returns the submission with deficiencies explained.

The opinion's analysis turns on the statutory text and prior AG opinions construing it. AG Opinion 2007-172 had rejected an earlier text-less submission with the same "procedural irregularities" framing, and AG Opinion 2013-010 was to the same effect. The "a" rule in subsections (b)(2)-(3) and (d)(1) traces to Cowles v. Thurston, 2024 Ark. 121, citing Cherokee Nation Bus., LLC v. Gulfside Casino P'ship, 2023 Ark. 153, both of which read "a" as a singular indefinite article.

Citations and references

Statutes:

• A.C.A. § 7-9-107: AG review of proposed amendments and ballot titles

Cases and prior AG opinions:

• Cowles v. Thurston, 2024 Ark. 121, "a" is singular
• Cherokee Nation Bus., LLC v. Gulfside Casino P'ship, 2023 Ark. 153, same
• Ark. Att'y Gen. Ops. 2024-033, 2023-131, 2007-172, 2013-010, 96-313

Source

• Official Arkansas Attorney General opinion search: https://arkansasag.gov/divisions/opinions-foia/attorney-general-opinions-search/ (Opinion No. 2024-076, August 29, 2024; official six-page PDF)

Original opinion text

Opinion No. 2024-076

August 29, 2024
Mr. Bill Kopsky
For AR Kids
1308 West Second Street
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
Dear Mr. Kopsky:
I am writing in response to your request, made under A.C.A. § 7-9-107, that I certify the popular name and ballot title for a proposed constitutional amendment. In Attorney General Opinion No. 2024-033, I reviewed the full text, popular name, and ballot title of a proposed measure that you submitted, and I substituted and certified the popular name and ballot title.

This time, you have submitted two popular names and two ballot titles. But you have not submitted any text for your proposed amendment.

My decision to certify or reject a popular name and ballot title is unrelated to my view of the proposed measure’s merits. I am not authorized to consider the measure’s merits when considering certification.

1. Request. Under A.C.A. § 7-9-107, you have asked me to certify the following popular names
   and ballot titles for a proposed amendment to the Arkansas Constitution:

                                       Popular Name
   
                  The Arkansas Educational Rights Amendment of 2026
   
                                        Ballot Title
   

   An amendment to Article 14 (Education) of the Arkansas constitution

   requiring identical academic standards and identical standards for accreditation,
   including assessments of students and schools based on such standards, for any
   school that receives State or local funds;

   defining “receives, or in receipt of, any State or local funds” to mean:

Mr. Bill Kopsky
Opinion No. 2024-076
Page 2

(i) receipt by the school of any State or local funds, property, or tax credits to cover or defray, in whole or in part, the costs of any student attending the school;

(ii) receipt by the student attending the school, or the student’s parents or guardians, of any state or local funds, property, or tax credits to cover or defray, in whole or in part, the costs of the student attending the school; or

(iii) receipt by a school, a student attending the school, or the student’s parents or guardians, of financial assistance for the cost of the student attending the school that is funded, in whole or in part, by monetary contributions that qualify for a State tax credit under Arkansas law;
denying State or local funds to any non-public school that fails to meet the same academic standards, standards for accreditation, or assessment requirements as public schools;
expanding the State’s obligation to ever maintain a general, suitable, and efficient system of free public schools to include:

(1) universal access to voluntary, early childhood education for students three (3) years old until they qualify for Kindergarten;

(2) universal access to voluntary afterschool and summer programs necessary for the achievement of an adequate education;

(3) assistance to children who are within 200% of the federal poverty line so that the qualifying children can achieve an adequate education and overcome the negative impact of poverty on education; and

(4) services that fully meet the individualized needs of students with disabilities to allow them meaningful access to integrated education;
defining an adequate education as, without limitation, all children developing sufficient:

(1) oral and written communication skills to enable students to function in a complex and rapidly changing civilization;

(2) knowledge of economic, social, and political systems to enable students to make informed choices;

(3) understanding of governmental processes to enable students to understand the issues that affect their community, state, and nation;

Mr. Bill Kopsky
Opinion No. 2024-076
Page 3

(4) self-knowledge and knowledge of their mental and physical wellness;

(5) grounding in the arts to enable students to appreciate their cultural and historical heritage;

(6) training, or preparation for advanced training, in either academic or vocational fields, so as to enable children to choose and pursue life work intelligently; and

(7) academic or vocational skills to enable public school students to compete favorably with their counterparts in surrounding states, in academics or in the job market;
requiring the General Assembly to enact legislation to implement this amendment, including allocating funding necessary to fully implement this amendment;
forbidding the General Assembly from amending, altering, or repealing this amendment absent a vote of the people; and
providing that this amendment’s provisions are severable.

The second popular name and ballot title are what appear to be Spanish translations of the English versions above:

Nombre popular

La Enmienda de Derechos Educativos de Arkansas de 2026

Titulo de la boleta

Una enmienda al artículo 14 (Educación) de la constitución de Arkansas
exigir estándares académicos idénticos y estándares idénticos para la acreditación, incluidas evaluaciones de estudiantes y escuelas basadas en dichos estándares, para cualquier escuela que reciba fondos estatales o locales;
definir “recibe o está en posesión de fondos estatales o locales” en el sentido de:

(i) receibo por parte de la escuela de cualquier fondo, propiedad o crédito fiscal estatal o local para cubrir o sufragar, total o parcialmente, los costos de cualquier estudiante que asista a la escuela;

(ii) receibo por parte del estudiante que asiste a la escuela, o de los padres o tutores del estudiante, de cualquier fondo, propiedad o crédito fiscal

Mr. Bill Kopsky
Opinion No. 2024-076
Page 4

estatal o local para cubrir o sufragar, total o parcialmente, los costos del estudiante que asiste a la escuala; o

(iii) receibo por parte de una escuela, un estudiante que asiste a la escuela, o los padres o tutores del estudiante, de asistencia financiera para el costo del estudiante que asiste a la escuela que se financia, en su totalidad o en parte, mediante contribuciones monetarias que califican para un Crédito fiscal estatal según la ley de Arkansas;
negar fondos estatales o locales a cualquier escuela no pública que no cumpla con los mismos estándares académicos, estándares de acreditación o requisitos de evaluación que las escuelas públicas;
ampliar la obligación del Estado de mantener un sistema general, adecuado y eficiente de escuelas públicas gratuitas para incluir:

(i) acceso universal a la educación infantil temprana voluntaria para estudiantes de tres (3) años de edad hasta que califiquen para el jardín de infantes;

(2) acceso universal a programas voluntaries extracurriculares y de verano necesarios para lograr una educación adecuada;

(3) asistencia a los niños que se encuentran dentro del 200% del umbral federal de pobreza para que los niños que califiquen puedan lograr una educación adecuada y superar el impacto negativo de la pobreza en la educación; y

(4) servicios que satisfagan plenamente las necesidades individualizadas de los estudiantes con discapacides para permitirles un acceso significativo a la educasión integrada;

Bastará con definir una educación adecuada a la que, sin carácter limitativo, se desarrollen todos los niños:

(1) habilidades de comunicación oral y escrita para permitir a los estudiantes funcionar en una civilización compleja y que cambia rápidamente;

(2) conocimiento de los sistemas económicos, sociales y politicos para permitir a los estudiantes tomar decisiones informadas;

(3) comprensión de los procesos gubernamentales para permitir que los estudiantes comprendan los problemas que afectan a su comunidad, estado y nación;

Mr. Bill Kopsky
Opinion No. 2024-076
Page 5

(4) autoconocimiento y conocimento de su bienestar físico y mental;

(5) base en las artes para permitir a los estudiantes apreciar su herencia cultural e histórica;

(6) formación o preparación para una formación avanzada, ya sea en compos académicos o vocacionales, a fin de permitir a los niños elegir y realizar el trabajo de la vida de manera inteligente; y

(7) habilidades académicas o vocacionales para permitir que los estudiantes de escuelas públicas compitan favorablemente con sus contrapartes en los estados circundantes, en lo académico o en el mercado laboral;
exigir a la Asamblea General que promulgue legislación para implementar esta enmienda, incluida la asignación de los fondos necesarios para implementar esta enmienda;
prohibir a la Asamblea General enmendar, alterar o derogar esta enmienda sin el voto del pueblo; y
disponiéndose que las disposiciones de esta enmienda sean divisibles.

2. Rules governing my review. In Opinion No. 2023-131, I explained the rules governing popular
   names and ballot titles, and I also explained the rules governing my review of the full text of a proposed measure. Rather than repeat those explanations, I incorporate them here by reference. In short, A.C.A. § 7-9-107 requires you to “submit the original draft” of your proposed amendment, which “shall include…[t]he full text of the proposed measure.” 1 As my predecessors have opined, when a sponsor “fail[s] to submit the text of the proposed constitutional amendment,” “[i]t is impossible for me to determine whether your proposed [popular name] and ballot title” are misleading. 2

3. Application. Your submission suffers from what my predecessors have repeatedly called
   “procedural irregularities”: you did not submit any text for your proposed amendment. 3 Thus, I cannot certify your proposed popular name and ballot title.

When conducting my statutorily required review under A.C.A. § 7-9-107, I am required to determine whether the popular name and ballot title accurately and impartially summarize the text of the of the proposed measure. Thus, a failure to submit the proposed amendment’s full text in compliance with A.C.A. § 7-9-107 makes it impossible for me to determine whether your proposed popular name and ballot title are misleading. “I must therefore return your submission and instruct

1
A.C.A. § 7-9-107(a)–(b)(1).
2
Ark. Att’y Gen. Op. 2007-172.
3
Id.; see also Ark. Att’y Gen. Op. 2013-010.

Mr. Bill Kopsky
Opinion No. 2024-076
Page 6

you to submit the [full text] of your proposed amendment together with a proposed popular name and ballot title.” 4

Also, under A.C.A. § 7-9-107(b)(2)–(3) the sponsor may only submit one popular name and one ballot title. 5 You, however, have submitted two popular names and two ballot titles—one of each in English and the other in Spanish. Although this procedural irregularity is not fatal because I can correct it by substituting and certifying a popular name and ballot title, 6 I note for you that I will only be able to certify one popular name and one ballot title. 7

Assistant Attorney General Jodie Keener prepared this opinion, which I hereby approve. Sincerely,

TIM GRIFFIN
Attorney General

4
Id.
5
Compare A.C.A. § 7-9-107(b(2)–(3) (stating that the sponsor’s original draft must include “[a] ballot title for the proposed measure” and “[a] popular name for the proposed measure” (emphasis added)), with Cowles v. Thurston, 2024 Ark. 121, at 7 (citing Cherokee Nation Bus., LLC v. Gulfside Casino P’ship, 2023 Ark. 153, at 5, 676 S.W.3d 368, 372)) (explaining that “a” is singular). 6 See A.C.A. § 7-9-107(d)(1); Ark. Att’y Gen. Op. 96-313 (substituting and certifying a popular name after the sponsor submitted two popular names). 7 A.C.A. § 7-9-107(d)(1) (providing that the Attorney General may certify “a” popular name and ballot title).