Arkansas requires 10,000 signatures for a group to become a qualified party. Both the Libertarian Party and the Green Party just launched their Arkansas petitions. State law requires the groups to choose their own start dates, but they must finish within 90 days after starting.

This will be the fifth time the Arkansas Green Party had done this petition drive. Each election year, the Green Party polls a large vote in Arkansas. In 2008 and again in 2012, it even elected a state legislator. But the Arkansas law irrationally removes a party from the ballot unless it polls 3% for the office at the top of the ticket (President in presidential election years, Governor in midterm years). So another expensive, illogical petition drive is about to occur, which not only costs the Green Party scarce resources, but also makes extra work for election officials who must then check the petition.