Case Summary

On April 22, 2020, Arkansas Voters First and two Arkansas voters filed a federal lawsuit against Arkansas’s Secretary of State challenging the state’s enforcement of initiative petition signature gathering rules during the coronavirus pandemic as violating their 1st and 14th Amendment rights to political participation, expression, and association. They sought declaratory and injunctive relief barring the enforcement of in-person signature, witness, and notary requirements and delaying the deadline for signature gathering to August 3, 2020.

  • On May 29, 2020, the federal district court granted an injunction barring the enforcement of in-person signature and notary requirements but leaving the signature gathering deadline in place.
  • On June 2, 2020, Defendants appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit which administratively stayed the district court’s decision.
  • On July 23, 2020, the Eighth Circuit reversed, finding the in-person signature and notary requirements didn’t impermissibly burden 1st and 14th Amendment rights and dismissing the remaining issues as moot.

Case Library

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas - 5:20-cv-05070

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit - 20-2095