Betty Wingfield of the Hempstead County office of the Cooperative Extension Service brought the Hope Lions Club Monday (10-12) copies of the “Arkansas Ballot Issues 2026 Voter Guide”. The guides are compiled by the Public Policy Center at the University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture. Said Wingfield, “our public policy center takes the issues on the ballot…they talk about how it made it, how it was introduced or proposed, whether it was proposed by a legislator, whether it was though a citizen’s proposal…where they had to go out and canvas for signatures to get it on the ballot…if that’s the case, then all that has to be checked and checked again to make sure it’s legal and proper before it makes it on to our state ballot”.
Wingfield noted there are four issues on the ballot. Issue #1 is “A constitutional amendment to be known as The Citizens Only Voting Amendment and providing that only a citizen of the United States meeting the qualifications of an elector under the Arkansas Constitution may vote in an election in this state”. Issue #2 is “A constitutional amendment to amend Arkansas Constitution, Article 2, Section 5, to protect the right to keep and bear arms”. Issue #3 is “A constitutional amendment concerning economic development in the state of Arkansas; and authorizing the General Assembly to provide for the creation of economic development districts within cities, counties, or cooperative areas to promote economic development within the economic development district”. Issue #4 is the “Arkansas Water, Waste Disposal, and Pollution Abatement Facilities Financing Act of 2025”.
The Voter Guides do not in any way tell citizens how to vote, only to highlight the ballot issue, what it actually means, and to present pros and cons from both supporters and those not in favor of the issue.
The Voter Guide is available during normal business hours at the Cooperative Extension Office in Hope located at 1800 East Third (the old Farm Bureau office). They are free to the public.
