Common Ground Conversations
How Senate Bill 590 became Act 1002: Full Transcripts
We've compiled the full transcripts from all Senate and House hearings and votes related to Senate Bill 590, which strips local authority from schools, cities, or other agencies from mandating masks if the need arises.
The Alaskan Solution
It may not seem like it on a 95-degree day in Arkansas, but we've got a lot in common with Alaska. Our people are resilient, gritty, independent-minded. That's why the new laws brought and passed by the people of Alaska on how they'll elect their leaders is so...
The Who’s Running for What Podcast Episode
Full Transcript Misty: Hey, everybody. Welcome to Common Ground Arkansas’ podcast. I am Misty Orpin, executive director of Common Ground Arkansas. Jim: And I’m Jim Hendren. It’s good to be back and do another podcast. Misty: And so today we thought we’d talk about...
Meet Our Board
Download Press Release Common Ground Arkansas is pleased to announce the membership of its board of directors. The 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization was founded by Sen. Hendren in February to provide a balance in Arkansas politics and support problem solving leadership...
Dissecting the 2021 Legislative Session
Sen. Jim Hendren and Misty Orpin from Common Ground Arkansas recap the 2021 Arkansas Legislative Session with a focus on some of the overarching themes. Sen. Hendren gives a behind the scenes look at why the session unfolded the way it did, while Misty talks about how...
Launching the Common Ground Podcast
We're excited to launch our first episode of the Common Ground Arkansas podcast! This episode looks at partisanship and impact it has on voter choice (or lack thereof).
Americans on partisanship: Stay away from the edge
The Problem The proliferation of partisanship is leaving Americans dissatisfied with the current state of our politics. Partisan politics and our primary system drives our elected politicians further and further to the edges to appease the party hard-liners and fill...
Partisanship: A False Binary Choice
The Problem Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be talking about partisanship. We want to start by stating clearly that Common Ground Arkansas isn’t anti-party. We recognize that political parties play an important role and work in many ways to strengthen our...
Who Represents You? (And do they?)
Your state legislators make decisions that impact your life every single day - from your taxes to your health to your local school. Do you know who your legislators are? The first step in accountability is knowing who to hold accountable. You can quickly find your...
Welcome to the Movement
Since we launched Common Ground Arkansas a few months ago, we’ve been listening to Arkansans. We’ve sought out conversations with people from around the state to help us identify challenges to good governance in Arkansas and come up with ways to fix them. Over the...