Little Rock: Count the signatures. The magic number the Citizens of Arkansas for Public Education and Students (CAPES), the nonpartisan coalition, had to submit was 54,422. This is a number the group believes they reached after a last-minute public plea to citizens and they fully expect to get the “cure period,” which allows them to continue collecting signatures. CAPES volunteers are not going to quietly sit on their laurels waiting while the Secretary of State’s office counts petition signatures to determine if the group met the minimum requirement of numbers. The sense of urgency that has fueled their drive so far continues to push them forward.
“With 100 people in and out of the room, we managed to collect, notarize, sort, count, box, and deliver 6,800 signatures within a mere 5 to 6 hours Monday. “Yesterday really showcased our team’s incredible efficiency and dedication,” said Steve Grappe, Executive Director of CAPES. “Many of us haven’t slept in a couple of days and I know when I do, I’ll see petitions in my sleep after handling and counting tens of thousands.”
The scene yesterday at the Secretary of State’s facility on Brookwood in Little Rock was both energetic and jubilant. In the historic push to meet the numbers requirement, canvassers were in line for notaries and notarized packets were brought as boxes were being carried into the building by dozens of CAPES volunteers. Music was playing, people were greeting each other in person for the first time, multiple volunteers were “live” on their phones, shouts of minutes left were heard, and several news outlet cameras were recording the whole scene.
After officially handing the petitions over to the Secretary of State’s office, the CAPES volunteers had some moments together where the Directors were recognized and a pledge to continue to fight for students, parents, and communities of Arkansas was made. “I’m beyond proud of this team, their hard work, and their commitment to fighting for good,” stated Veronica McClane, Chair of CAPES. “We accomplished so much in about half the time allowed by the constitution to collect our signatures, due to the weeks the Attorney General took from us with ballot reviews.”
This is not the end of CAPES. It is just their beginning. Volunteers are resting today but expect to see canvassers in your neighborhoods, local businesses, and public spaces starting tomorrow.
We call on the Secretary of State to count all of the signatures.