Casino Amendment Falls Far Short Of Needed Signatures
by July 24, 2012 7:01 am 95 views
Same song, third verse.
A proposal to expand casino gambling in Arkansas fell far short in its efforts but gained a 30-day extension to make it up ground, according to Secretary of State Mark Martin's office.
The proposal that would allow Nancy Todd's Poker Palace LLC to operate casinos in four Arkansas counties had nearly 56,000 of its 80,373 petition signatures invalidated — a 71% failure rate.
The effort only submitted 23,616 valid voter signatures, but needs 78,333 to qualify for the November ballot
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The proposal, led by professional poker player Nancy Todd, would allow casinos in Crittenden, Franklin, Miller and Pulaski counties.
Its failure rate on signature submissions mirrors Sheffield Nelson and his Committee For A Fair Severance Tax initiative and rivals the Arkansas Compassionate Care Act, which is advocating for medicinal marijuana sales in Arkansas.
Nelson's measure had nearly 70% of its signatures invalidated, while the medical marijuana act saw more than 40% of its signatures declared invalid.