Land of wasted opportunity

Lawmakers should resist voter ID amendment

Sometimes, it’s hard for a person to recognize they have something to be cherished until it’s gone. How many of us occasionally yearn for the joy and innocence of childhood?

Are there those who didn’t realize how “presidential” the occupants of the Oval Office had been until given an example that pales in comparison?

How many friends have allowed minor ( in the grand scheme) transgressions to alienate them from parents or siblings only to discover none of us live forever and an opportunity for reconciliation has passed?

Have you ever seen a youngster choose the shiny half-dollar over the flimsy, dirty $10 bill?

Legislators in the Arkansas General Assembly meeting in Little Rock appear as though they’re about to go through a similar experience.

Every two years, members of the state Senate and House of Representatives are legally authorized to refer up to three constitutional amendments to the Arkansas Constitution. The Constitution was adopted in 1874. Efforts to replace it have met with resistance through the years, so it has been frequently amended to help it function into the 21st century.

Lawmakers are now trying to whittle down a multitude of proposals from lawmakers. By joint resolution, the House and the Senate have agreed to each recommend one amendment for the state’s voters to consider in November 2018. Both chambers have to agree on the final two.

Rep. Bob Ballinger, R-Hindsville, is chairman of the House State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee. He said last week he hopes his committee will recommend a proposal today and the full House will consider it later this week. But it’s his estimation of the amendment lawmakers will favor that suggests lawmakers might allow themselves to waste their cherished opportunity on something small instead of using it to make a real difference.

“If I was betting, like on a horse race, I would bet on voter ID. But it’s up to the will of the committee,” Ballinger said.

Yes, an amendment to require voter identification cards at the polls. It’s a proposal by Elm Springs’ own Rep. Robin Lundstrum, and it’s a wasted effort that’s going to fix a problem nobody has shown to exist. But it’s a good talking point for Republicans’ future campaigns.

House Speaker Jeremy Gillam, with the co-sponsorship of Ballinger, Rep. Greg Leding of Fayetteville and others, has a far more substantive proposal that would reform the way constitutional amendments get on the ballot. That proposal would change the requirement for voter approval of constitutional amendments from a simple majority to 60 percent of voters. The goal is to make it harder for someone — such as those backing casinos — to simply come into Arkansas and “buy” an amendment through massive ad spending.

The proposal would also:

• Bar an amendment from bestowing powers, privileges and authority to a specific individual or business entity identified by name, a frequent approach some have used in an effort to establish a monopoly for themselves.

• Increase the vote required in the House and Senate from a majority to a two-thirds vote to propose a constitutional amendment.

• Increase from 15 counties to 25 the minimum from which petitions must be submitted for initiated constitutional amendments. And it would tie the number of signatures needed in each county to 5 percent of the votes cast in the previous gubernatorial election in that county.

• Require any proposals for amendments to be filed with the secretary of state no later than 180 days before the election. It’s now four months.

The Legislature could do something substantial with its amendment proposals, but instead it may go with something so unnecessary and unproven, and perhaps even harmful, as voter identification.

Lawmakers don’t get the chance to make constitutional changes often. They shouldn’t waste their authority on a political waste when serious changes could be proposed to the people of Arkansas.