Columbia County wet/dry petition gathers enough signatures, issue will be on November ballot

Chaney Law Firm client Vote for Growth in Columbia County has successfully filed a valid "local option" petition with the Columbia County Clerk. The county's long-standing dry status may be changing in the November election.

Under Arkansas law, the only way to change a county from dry to wet (or vice versa) is to file a local option petition. The requirements are strict; supporters of the petition must gather signatures from 38% of the registered voters in the county.

Vote for Growth in Columbia County turned in more than 1900 petition pages containing over 8000 signatures. On Tuesday evening, the Columbia County Clerk reported that the petition contained at least 4954 valid signatures, which is the minimum number required to get the issue certified. At least 1000 additional signatures must still be reviewed.

You can read more coverage on the Columbia County effort from the Arkansas Times and the Magnolia Reporter. These types of campaigns cost a significant amount of money, and you can donate online to help with the costs.

Our firm has helped several counties through the local option process. If you're interested in a local option election in your county, take a look at our overview here. We also have many blog posts on local option elections and general election law. We invite you to take a look.