In a blow to supporters of an abortion-rights ballot measure, Arkansas election officials have rejected the petitions submitted for the proposed measure. The initiative aimed to give voters in the predominantly Republican state a chance to voice their opinion on abortion rights.

The secretary of state's office turned down the petitions on the grounds that the group behind the measure failed to provide the required statements concerning paid signature gatherers. Despite submitting over 101,000 signatures, organizers fell short of the minimum requirement of 90,704 signatures from registered voters, including a certain number from at least 50 counties.

Secretary of State John Thurston addressed the organizers in a letter, explaining that even if the signatures obtained from volunteers were accepted, they would still fall below the required amount, totaling 87,382.

The group behind the measure, Arkansans for Limited Government, expressed their intention to review the rejection letter with their legal team. The proposed measure aimed to prohibit abortion bans within the first 20 weeks of gestation while allowing the procedure later in pregnancy under specific circumstances such as rape, incest, threats to the woman's health or life, or if the fetus would be unlikely to survive birth.

This ballot measure was seen as a test of support for abortion rights in a state where prominent elected officials have long expressed their opposition to abortion. Notably, Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who opposed the measure, took to social media platform X to criticize the rejection, stating that "today the far-left pro-abortion crowd in Arkansas showed they are both immoral and incompetent."

Despite facing opposition from abortion opponents within the state, the proposed measure did not gain the support of national abortion-rights groups like Planned Parenthood due to its inclusion of a ban on abortions after 20 weeks into pregnancy.

The U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 ruling revoked the nationwide right to abortion, sparking a nationwide push for state-by-state decisions on the matter. Arkansas already has a law in place that bans abortion, permitting it only in cases where the mother's life is under imminent threat.

The Family Council Action Committee, one of the groups opposing the proposed measure, had pledged to challenge the constitutional amendment in court if it had made it onto the ballot. They had even published the names of individuals involved in gathering signatures for the initiative.

The rejection of the petitions by Arkansas election officials highlights the ongoing debate surrounding abortion rights and the determination of various groups to shape the laws and policies on this sensitive issue at the state level.