LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — On Monday, the Arkansas Supreme court ruled on one of two challenges to a ballot measure regarding casinos in the state.

The court determined that the group contesting Issue 2 did not provide sufficient evidence to support their claim that canvassers were being paid based on the number of signatures collected.

The group’s other argument, asserting that the ballot title and popular name are misleading, will be addressed separately.

Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston has challenged the legality of the signatures collected for the amendment, asking the justices not to count the votes on Issue 2, which aims to halt a planned casino project in Pope County.

You can read the court’s mandate below:

Arkansas Canvassing Compliance Committee released the following written statement in response to the mandate:

While disappointing, we still await the Court’s decision on the ballot title challenge. Issue 2 is misleading, and its sole purpose is to undo the will of Arkansas voters by eliminating the fourth casino license they approved in 2018. Voters will see this as a bad deal — out of state billionaires trying to manipulate Arkansans into changing the constitution to benefit their own self interest. If passed, Issue 2 would cost Arkansans thousands of jobs and much needed tax revenue, including funding for our roads.