Clark County wet/dry issue must wait until 2010

By Elizabeth Pannell

LITTLE ROCK — Proponents of changing Clark County from a dry county to a wet county will have to wait until 2010 get the issue on the ballot.

On Oct. 31, the state Supreme Court ruled that 40 of the 4,168 signatures gathered were invalid. The votes obtained by early voting were not counted because of forged and postdated signatures obtained by supporters of a wet county.

County Clerk Rhonda Cole said, "Andy Berry and his canvassers were under the impression they had 10 days to cure those 40 signatures." Berry is the Arkadelphia attorney who led the drive.

"After the Supreme Court made a ruling, then there is no appeals," Cole said. "Also, by state law this issue can only be voted on during a general election, not a special election." Cole said canvassers can start gathering signatures now for the 2010 general election as long as they have Nov. 6, 2010, on the petitions.

"I don't know the number of signatures they will need, because it will be based on the number of registered voters on June 1, 2010," Cole said.

Thirty-eight percent of all registered voters must sign a petition to get it on the general election ballot.

Berry said his group, A Vote for Growth, began gathering signatures on Tuesday to get the wet/dry issue on the 2010 ballot. He said a few things will change with this petition drive.

"I changed the petition, now it has 10 signatures on each page and the verification is on the same page," Berry said.

"I'm also going to make sure the canvassers watch each person sign the petition. I'm convinced at least one signature was forged on the previous petition, but not two. This throws a bad light on the project. Anyone who forges a signature will be prosecuted." Berry said he knew voters could not register and sign the petition on the same day.

"I told the canvassers that they could not do that," Berry said. "But I think they just got a little overambitious, and they didn't hide it very well." Berry said wet county proponents from Sharp County have contacted him to get a statewide petition started in order to reduce the number of signatures that are needed to get the wet initiative on the ballot.

"The people in Sharp County are interested in reducing the 38 percent," Berry said. "It's just too big. If we did it we would have to get 15 percent of the registered voters - statewide. It's something I would have to be paid to do."

Tri-Lakes, Pages 57 on 11/20/2008