Citizens for Arkansas Public Education and Students, the group behind a referendum to repeal the LEARNS Act, raised $2,670 in April, according to a financial statement released Tuesday.
The group raised funds through small donations ranging from $50 to $480, averaging $140 a donation, and has $2,544 in cash on hand. The statement was the first report on the organization’s finances since launching its repeal effort April 10.
CAPES aims to repeal the LEARNS Act through a referendum that would give the final say to voters as to whether Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ education law should stand. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has twice rejected proposed ballot language for the referendum, leaving the repeal effort in limbo. Under Arkansas law, the attorney general has to sign off on the referendum’s ballot title and popular name before the group can gather the signatures it needs to get their question on the November 2024 ballot.
CAPES tweeted Tuesday it had met with Griffin and other officials from his office and that they will make a third attempt to get the referendum's ballot language approved later this week.
To get the referendum on the ballot, CAPES would need to collect at least 54,522 signatures from registered voters by July 31.