#ARKANSAS STATE DAIR LICENSE#

#ARKANSAS STATE DAIR LICENSE#

If the sponsor’s lawyer cannot tell you whether an existing license will be grandfathered or eliminated if this amendment passes, how could any voter reasonably be expected to guess the answer to that question in the voting booth?” Cross asks.Ĭross says the Election Commissioners are tasked with preventing ambiguous, confusing, or intentionally misleading referendum languages from reaching the ballot. The legal minds would decide the status of the Cherokee casino license in Pope County after the voters approve the referendum. The judge explains that it’s unclear what would result if Arkansas was to revoke the casino license it issued to the Cherokee Nation in wake of Pope County being withdrawn as a casino locale.Ĭross points to the fact that the Choctaw’s own attorney admitted that it would be up to the courts. The judge says the canvassers are telling Arkansans that signing would allow an opportunity for Pope County to be stripped of its casino candidacy to fulfill the wishes of the county’s residents.īut Cross argues that it fails to relay that such a referendum passing would likely result in much litigation. Having been the subject of a “Fair Play Arkansas” signature gathering canvasser personally, I can state firsthand, the misleading intent of the initiative issue,” Cross wrote the Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners.Ĭross contends that the group isn’t fairly representing what the referendum seeks to accomplish. He says the group has deceived residents in collecting their support. That’s before the matter would be printed on the ballots.Ĭross says Fair Play Arkansas’ signature gathering methods have been questionable at best. If FPA meets the threshold, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge’s office would then need to approve the referendum title and wording. Thurston’s office continues to verify the signatures. FPA claims it submitted more than 103,000 qualifying signatures to Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston earlier this month. Fair Play Not Behaving Fairly, Judge Saysįor a ballot referendum to reach election booths this year, an initiative must submit at least 89,151 resident signatures expressing their desire to weigh in on the measure during the November election. The Choctaws say since Pope voters were one of only 11 counties out of 74 in Arkansas that voted to reject the 2018 commercial gaming referendum, a casino should not be forced on those residents.Ĭross says the Choctaws’ motives are clear, and the tribe is only looking out for itself - not Arkansans. The Choctaws oppose Arkansas allowing a casino to be built in Pope County, as the facility would be less than 90 miles from its Choctaw Casino & Resort in Pocola, Ok. That ballot effort was largely supported by the Cherokee Nation and Quapaw Tribe, both of Oklahoma. But this time, it’s one asking voters to remove Pope County from being an eligible host county for a gaming destination.Īrkansans approved a casino referendum during the 2018 election that designated four counties - Pope, Crittenden, Garland, and Jefferson - as host casino counties.

The tribe is funding a political action committee in Arkansas called “Fair Play Arkansas (FPA).” The campaign is seeking to force another statewide casino referendum. The Choctaw Nation owns and operates tribal casinos in neighboring Oklahoma. Arkansas voters authorized as many as four commercial casinos through a 2018 ballot referendum. Pope County Judge Ben Cross is asking Arkansas state officials to block a 2022 ballot referendum effort that seeks to potentially halt the Legends Resort & Casino from being built.

The measure is being pushed by a Native American tribe in Oklahoma. Pope County Judge Ben Cross is calling on the Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners to reject a casino ballot referendum effort. The Arkansas State Fair is one of the premiere events in the country and has been ranked in Amusement Business Magazine's Top 50 Fairs & Festivals in North America four times in the last five years!Īrkansas State Fair Complex - Little RockĢ600 Howard St., Little Rock, AR 72206, Little Rock ARĪrkansas Livestock Show Association, Inc.Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Novelty Betting, Politics.

The Arkansas State Fair is the largest and most visited entertainment event in the state boasting over 450,000 in just ten days. Venue: Arkansas State Fairgrounds - Little Rock, Little Rock AR, United States

Arkansas state dair