Citizens of Arkansas for Public Education and Students now believes it collected enough signatures to continue its effort to repeal the LEARNS Act through a 2024 ballot referendum.
CAPES Executive Director Steve Grappe initially feared the group fell just short of the threshold following a frenetic finish at Monday’s 5 p.m. deadline.
After additional analysis late Monday, the group now believes it submitted the minimum 54,422 signatures required to move forward with its ballot referendum initiative thanks to a last-minute appeal to the public, according to a Tuesday morning press release.
“With 100 people in and out of the room, we managed to collect, notarize, sort, count, box, and deliver 6,800 signatures within a mere 5 to 6 hours Monday,” Grappe said in a statement. “Yesterday really showcased our team’s incredible efficiency and dedication. Many of us haven’t slept in a couple of days and I know when I do, I’ll see petitions in my sleep after handling and counting tens of thousands.”
CAPES is calling on the Arkansas Secretary of State to count all the submitted signatures and promised volunteers “are not going to quietly sit on their laurels waiting” during the tallying process, according to a press release.
Volunteers are resting today, but canvassers will head back to local businesses and public spaces tomorrow, according to the release.
If at least 75% of the petition signatures are deemed valid, CAPES would have an additional 30 days to collect the required signatures. That cure period would begin from the date of the secretary of state’s letter to CAPES, notifying them of the qualification, press secretary Chris Powell said.
The LEARNS Act officially went into effect Tuesday.
