Hi Community Members!
Last week Secretary of State John Thurston announced that the Citizens for Arkansas Public Education and Students (CAPES) petition to put the LEARNS Act on the ballot in 2024 fell short of the required signatures by a little less than 1,000 signatures. Everyone who participated in the effort should be proud of the work accomplished across the state in a very short period of time. You can keep up with the work CAPES will be doing in the future (they’re in this for the long haul) by signing up for their newsletter HERE.
Local Events
Monday, Aug. 14 at 6:30 p.m. - Democratic Party of Benton County monthly meeting at Arvest Conference Center (Legion Lane, Bentonville) or via zoom. This month’s meeting will include a report on recent polling from Michael Cook, vote on bylaws, and an update from last month’s state committee meeting.
Tuesday, Aug. 15 at 6:30 p.m. - Unapologetically Progressive in Arkansas with Run for Something, Emerge Arkansas, and PAWPAC in Springdale - RSVP for address. This free event is for anybody who's interested in running for elected office. There will be a panel discussion about what it's like to run, followed by a mix-and-mingle reception.
Saturday, Aug. 19 at 6 p.m. - A Run for More screening at the Meteor Guitar Gallery (128 W Central Ave, Bentonville); join the Equality Crew and DPBC for this inspiring documentary about Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe, a trans woman who ran for city council in San Antonio. $10 tickets available HERE.
Community Involvement Opportunities
Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition
Legal Observer Training will be held in-person and online on Thursday, Aug. 10th from 6-8 p.m. at St. Paul’s (downtown Fayetteville). Email [email protected] and place “LEGAL OBSERVER TRAINING” in the subject line if you’d like to be a part of this training session.
Leadership Benton County - Accepting applications for the 2024 class
Leadership Benton County’s purpose is to inspire and connect leaders to serve their community. The program objectives include:
Participants will identify their strengths and passions that can be leveraged to serve their community.
Participants will understand the strengths, needs, and inter-connected systems that provide opportunities within our community.
Participants will be able to apply and build their social networks and connections.
Participants will emerge as board-ready leaders who are equipped to step into open opportunities.
Participants will be prepared to share their experience, bringing knowledge back to their employers and teammates.
Application deadline is Oct. 20, 2023.
Municipal Government Awareness
Bella Vista
Next Council Mtng: Monday, Aug. 21 at 5:30 p.m. (2483 Forest Hills Blvd) - work session
Bentonville
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Aug. 8 at 6 p.m. (305 SW A St.)
Items of Note:
Cave Springs
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Aug. 8 at 6:30 p.m. (134 N. Main St.) - work session
Items of Note:
City Council will consider candidates for the Ward 2 councilmember vacancy at Tuesday’s meeting
Centerton
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Aug. 8 at 6 p.m. (210 Municipal Dr.)
Items of Note:
Coffee with mayor at Old City Hall on Aug. 19th at 9 a.m.
Gravette
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Aug. 8 at 5:30 p.m. (202 Main St. NE) - Committee of the Whole
Items of Note:
The city has named Margaret Martin (entering her 54th year of teaching) the grand marshal for the 2023 Gravette Day Parade
Enjoy Gravette day events throughout the city this Saturday, Aug. 12th
Lowell
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Aug. 15 at 6:30 p.m. (216 N. Lincoln St.)
Items of Note:
Ward Nail Park Splash Pad (801 McClure Ave.) is now open to the public!
Pea Ridge
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Aug. 8 at 5:30 p.m. (911 Weston St.) - Committee of the Whole
Rogers
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Aug. 8 at 6 p.m. (301 W. Chestnut)
Items of Note:
City Council unanimously approved spending $2.4M to renovate the Victory Theatre downtown ($980k in grants will help)
Siloam Springs
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Aug. 15 at 6:30 p.m. (400 N. Broadway)
Items of Note:
Citizens are invited to attend a Town Hall Meeting hosted by the Siloam Springs Community Development Department on Thursday, Aug. 24th from 5:30 - 7 p.m. at the Siloam Springs Public Library
Springdale
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Aug. 8 at 6 p.m. (201 Spring St.)
Items of Note:
City Council did not pass a resolution requesting Springdale Public Library staff to keep obscene materials out of collections accessible by children; read Laurinda Joenks at the NWA Dem Gazz for more on the meeting and the resolution HERE
County Government Awareness
Benton County Quorum Court
Aug. 15th Committee of the Whole meeting at 6 p.m. (Benton County Admin Building, 3rd floor) - Benton County is planning to spend your tax dollars on expanding jail beds for misdemeanors DESPITE voters saying no to jail expansion. Voice your concerns during public comment to let them know the community does not want more jail beds.
State Government Awareness
94th General Legislative Assembly:
Most of the passed legislation from this legislative session went into law on August 1st. Read Arkansas Advocate’s recap for some legislative highlights (lowlights?): “Hundreds of new Arkansas laws set to take effect Aug. 1”
U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks temporarily blocks section 5 of Act 372 (2023) - the Arkansas library obscenity law - read more HERE
Arkansas Department of Education
From On AR Watch, “Olivia brings culture of corruption to Arkansas Dept. of Ed” - read for an update on the litigation from Florida that mentions our current Secretary of Education
From Antoinette Grajeda at the Arkansas Advocate, regarding the LEARNS Act school voucher program rules feedback sessions:
The Arkansas Department of Education will host two public comment hearings on Aug. 25 about the new Educational Freedom Account program proposed rules.
Lawmakers approved emergency rules that will be in place when the EFA program goes into effect on Aug. 1. Public feedback will be used to craft permanent rules that will replace the temporary emergency rules.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Governor Sanders has appointed Larry Walther, current Arkansas Finance Secretary, to fill the role of Arkansas Treasurer until the general election in 2024. Recently elected Arkansas Treasurer, Mark Lowery passed last week, the day following the announcement of his retirement after suffering two strokes earlier this year. Whomever is elected to the position in 2024 will serve the remainder of the original term (Jan. 2027). Read more HERE.
Governor Sanders has appointed Jim Hudson, chief of staff at the State Department of Commerce, to fill the Arkansas Finance Secretary vacancy created by Larry Walther’s appointment to State Treasurer.
Election Information
Arkansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Race Heats Up
Associate Justices Karen Baker, Barbara Webb, and Rhonda Wood have each announced they will run to replace retiring Chief Justice John Dan Kemp. In addition to the Chief Justice position, Associate Justice position 5 (currently held by Shawn Womack) and Associate Justice position 2 (currently held by the Governor appointed Cody Hiland) will be up for election in 2024. The election for this position will be on March 5, 2024 and if necessary a runoff will occur on November 5, 2024.
2024 Candidate Filing Period and Democratic Filing Fees Set
In less than 100 days, the partisan candidate filing period for the 2024 election will commence, starting noon on November 6 and running until noon on November 14. Make sure you're prepared!
Candidates can file for various partisan positions, including:
Congressional District 3
State Senate seats 33 & 34
State Representative seats 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18
JP districts 1-15
Constables 1-5
Filing Fees (Approved by the Democratic Party of Arkansas)
The State Committee of the Democratic Party of Arkansas (DPA) has set the following filing fees for partisan candidates:
Congress: $2,500
State Senate: $2,500 or 400 signatures from voters in the district (must be provided to the DPA by noon on Oct. 27, 2023)
State Representative: $1,000 or 150 signatures from voters in the district (must be provided to the DPA by noon on Oct. 27, 2023)
Justice of the Peace and Constable Filing Fee Recommendation:
The DPBC steering committee has recommended a filing fee of $50 per candidate for Justice of the Peace and Constable positions. This recommendation will be put to a vote by the membership during the August 14th meeting.
Thinking of Running for Office or Know Someone Who Should?
For those interested in running for office or if you know someone who would make a great candidate, feel free to reach out to our Candidates and Elections Chair, Christine Erwin-Jimenez (me), at [email protected]. We are here to help and provide more information about the process of running for office.
Stay Informed and Engage in the Democratic Process!
Make your voice heard and participate in the democratic process. The 2024 election offers an opportunity for you to be an active participant in shaping the future of our great nation. Stay tuned for updates and let's make a difference together!
Political Training Opportunities
Arena Academy Online - Applications due by Aug. 27
Applications for the September Arena Academy Online are now open! Over the course of five days at Arena Academy Online, you’ll take a deep dive into a specific skill area and learn the overarching principles of running a strategic campaign. You’ll receive help thinking through how to integrate departments, lead with your values, and run data-driven programs that get results. After Arena Academy, you can access premium career support to help you land your next role.
When you apply, you’ll have the chance to select your top two track choices. They train on seven tracks: campaign manager, communications, data, digital, fundraising, organizing, and organizing director. In your tracks, you learn the latest best practices and most pressing challenges from current practitioners.
National Democratic Training Committee - Free, online
So You Want to Run for Office: AAPI Edition with Public Wise - Tues., Aug. 8 at noon
What is Get Out the Vote? - Thurs., Aug. 10 at noon
How Local Parties Prepare for GOTV - Mon., Aug. 14 at noon
Odds & Ends
Watch/listen to this cool discussion from last month’s Statehouse Futures 2023 conference featuring four progressives recently elected to local positions, “Run Local: How reverse coattails works”
Read “Trash the vote: Why Arkansas rejects more of its mail-in ballots than almost any other state” by Benjamin Hardy, Christopher Williams and Mary Ruth Taylor via the Arkansas Times