Having failed in 1970 to get a majority of Arkansans to ratify a new constitution, elected officials such as David Pryor, interest group representatives, and other advocates for reform continued to advance the idea of a new constitution, albeit with a more balanced approach as to what would change and would remain from the 1874 document.\u00a0<\/p>\n\t
In 1974, David Pryor was elected governor and, during the 1975 General Assembly, successfully championed a proposal to once again hold a constitutional convention. However, this time, the convention delegates were to be prohibited from addressing certain issues that might have otherwise prevented risk-averse Arkansans from supporting the new document.<\/p>\n
While only a few years out from the earlier ratification defeat of 1970, there was reason to believe Arkansans were open to the idea of a new constitution. After all, the state’s voters had granted permission to convene a convention as recently as 1968 (before voting the final product down in 1970). For one, the state’s voters liked the idea of reform but were reluctant to throw out the 1874 state constitution in its entirety. Also, considering a majority of voters approved Amendment 55<\/a> in 1974, reform was on the minds of Arkansans. However, Pryor’s attempt at a convention whereby topics for consideration were limited was successfully challenged in court and ruled unconstitutional.<\/p>\n\tngg_shortcode_0_placeholder\n\t