A proposed constitutional amendment that would limit Arkansas state lawmakers to serving a maximum of 10 years qualified for the Nov. 6 general election ballot, an official in the secretary of state’s office said Friday.
The Arkansas Term Limits committee’s ballot proposal would limit lawmakers to serving three two-year terms as a state representative, two four-year terms as a senator or any terms that would exceed a total of 10 years in the General Assembly.
State lawmakers may serve up to 16 years in the House, Senate or both under Arkansas Constitutional Amendment 94, which voters approved in November 2014.
Some senators are able to serve longer if they draw a two-year term after winning in the election after once-per-decade restricting.
Fifteen states have term limits on state lawmakers and the proposed constitutional amendment in Arkansas would impose the most restrictive term limits in the nation, based on information on the National Conference of State Legislatures’ website.
Leslie Bellamy, director of elections in the secretary of state’s office, said the initial count of signatures submitted to the secretary of state’s office was 124,674, and Secretary of State Mark Martin has determined that there are no more than 93,998 valid signatures.
Sponsors of constitutional amendments are required to turn in 84,859 valid signatures of registered voters.
Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.