Correction: An earlier version of this story said Arkansans for Students and Educators has paid $191,270 to Americans for Prosperity. In fact, Americans for Prosperity has made $191,270 in nonmonetary contributions to Arkansans for Students and Educators.
A group supporting an amendment to revoke the license for the casino set for Pope County raised $2.85 million last month, all from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
The ballot question committee, called Local Voters in Charge, is pushing an amendment that would revoke the Pope County casino license state regulators awarded to Cherokee Nation Entertainment in June. The amendment would also require a countywide election for any future casino.
The group has raised a total of $5.3 million and reported having $1.46 million on hand at the end of June, according to monthly financial reports filed with the Arkansas Ethics Commission.
Investing in Arkansas, a committee opposed to the measure, reported no donations last month but has raised $775,000 since forming in May. The group reported $42,584 on hand after spending $530,199 last month. All of the group’s donations have come from Cherokee Nation Businesses.
Elsewhere in ballot initiative funding, Arkansans for Patient Access, the committee sponsoring the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2024, reported raising $483,568 last month, bringing its total contributions to $1.65 million. The group reported having $313,069 on hand.
Danny Brown, an owner of BOLD Team cultivation in Cotton Plant, made the largest donation with $100,000. The committee received eight other donations of more than $20,000 with seven coming from individuals or businesses in the medical cannabis industry and one coming from Central Bank of Little Rock.
Protect Arkansas Kids, a committee created to oppose the medical marijuana amendment, formed on July 2 and was not required to file a financial report for June. The group is working with Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a leading national anti-marijuana group that was active in the campaign to defeat an adult-use marijuana amendment in Arkansas in 2022.
Stronger Arkansas, a committee formed to oppose several amendments trying to make the ballot, reported no donations last month and total contributions of $375,000. The group reported having $1,656 on hand.
Stronger Arkansas was formed by associates of Gov. Sarah Sanders, including campaign manager Chris Caldwell, to oppose amendments concerning medical marijuana, abortion and education. The education amendment did not turn in a sufficient number of signatures to make the ballot earlier this month.
Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston disqualified an abortion amendment for not having turned in proper documents as required by law. The group has filed a lawsuit with the Arkansas Supreme Court over Thurston’s decision.
A committee associated with the Arkansas Family Council to oppose three proposed measures reported raising $1,026 last month to defeat the abortion amendment and no donations to defeat the medical marijuana or education amendments. The group has raised $121,721 to oppose the abortion measure, $102,215 to oppose the medical marijuana measure and no donations to oppose the education measure.
Arkansans for Students and Educators, a group formed to oppose the education amendment, reported raising $2,500 last month. The group reported $988,500 in total contributions and $317,929 on hand.
The committee has received $500,000 from Walmart heir Jim Walton, $250,000 from Pennsylvania billionaire Jeff Yass, $100,000 from chicken mogul Ron Cameron and $100,000 from Stronger Arkansas. Yass is one of the largest investors in ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok.
The group received $91,732 in nonmonetary contributions from Americans for Prosperity last month. That brings Americans for Prosperity’s total nonmonetary contributions to the committee to $191,270.
For AR Kids, the group sponsoring the education amendment, reported raising $8,166 last month and total contributions of $18,384. The group reported having $10,345 at the end of June.
The Arkansas Period Poverty Project, which sponsored an amendment to remove taxes on feminine hygiene products and diapers, reported no contributions last month and total contributions of $2,711.