Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Some N.D. legislators want to raise the bar on constitutional amendments. A resolution before the N.D. House calls for 60% approval from voters in order to pass any ballot measure that would alter the state’s constitution.
This is the most recent proposal from legislators aimed at reining in ballot measures. There were five such measures on the statewide ballot during the 2024 general election, and only two passed.
Amy Jacobson of Prairie Action N.D. wrote a scathing editorial for the North Dakota Monitor stating her opposition to the proposal. She writes, in part:
“The people of North Dakota deserve better than House Concurrent Resolution 3003 – a proposal at the state legislature that would undermine our rights and our civic powers as citizens. This resolution, like last year’s Measure 2, is an attack on our ability to shape our future through citizen-initiated ballot measures. It’s designed to silence us by raising the voting approval threshold for constitutional amendments to 60%, making it far harder for everyday North Dakotans to be heard.
“HCR 3003 undermines the principle of majority rule, allowing a smaller group to veto initiatives favored by most voters. Meaning if 41% of the voters oppose a measure they would effectively veto the wishes of the other 59% – putting the interest of the few over that of the many.
“We’ve seen these 60% threshold attempts elsewhere – South Dakota, Ohio, Florida, Missouri – and they’re almost always an effort aimed at stifling grassroots democracy. When the bar is raised, it’s harder to fight for schools, health care, and the issues that matter most to regular folks.
Jacobson is right about one thing. The 60% majority does make it harder to fight for schools and other local issues that matter most to regular folks. However, when it comes to something as important as the state constitution, requiring a higher threshold of approval works to ensure that there is broad support for an amendment.
To me the 60% rule makes sense. After all, in order to alter the U.S. Constitution, a two-thirds majority of both the U.S. House and Senate must agree to move an amendment forward, and then two-thirds of the states must ratify the amendment. The state constitution should likewise not be altered without careful consideration.
We already require 60% approval in other aspects of government, such as with local bond issues and questions of a local government’s ability to raise property tax levies above a certain threshold. The most recent example locally was the building fund levy increase proposal by the Carrington School District, which was just eight votes shy of the 60% required to pass. In that case, the 41% won the day, as a majority vote wasn’t enough. If bond issues need broader support than what majority rule can offer, then so should constitutional amendments in my opinion.
County minutes to stay in newspapers
HB 1380 failed in the N.D. House Monday. Only 13 legislators voted in favor of the measure, which would have given counties the option to no longer publish their minutes in newspapers and instead post them on their county website only.
The two District 29 House members split on the matter. Rep. Don Vigesaa voted no on the proposal, while Rep. Craig Headland said yes. In District 14, both Rep. Jon Nelson and Rep. Robin Weisz voted no.
HCR 3006 calls for mail service improvements
Under consideration in the N.D. House is a Concurrent Resolution to compel the U.S. Postal Service to improve mail service in our state. That one is HCR 3006. Readers, if you have had issues receiving your newspaper, gone days without receiving any mail, experienced delays in delivery of prescriptions and medical supplies, or had an important letter lost in the mail, please contact your legislators and tell them your story. We need to make some noise. Newspapers have been shouting from the rooftops for some time now that system improvements are needed. This goes way beyond our local post offices, where our postmasters and their staff work hard to ensure your mail is delivered on time.
Allison Olimb, the NDNA president put it this way:
"Ask the 69th Legislative Assembly of North Dakota to SUPPORT HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 3006.
"We get it – 'What’s a resolution going to do?' 'How’s that going to help?' We want to get their attention and push this issue higher up the chain.
"What’s not going to help is yelling at your local post office employees, the friendly folks at your local newspaper or screaming into the void.
"What might help is rural North Dakota standing up for itself. When Minneapolis and Fairdale are in the same region, and all other USPS data is comparable, but the town of 429,954 gets their mail while the town of 30 doesn’t – there’s a real problem."
She's right, and evidence from citizens that back up our claims about poor mail service will strengthen that argument.
School cell phone policies would be required by HB 1160
If it passes, House Bill 1160 would require all North Dakota public schools to establish some kind of cell phone policy, but leaves the specifics up to each respective district.
Originally, the bill outright banned cell phone use by public school students. It was amended in committee to be less restrictive before it ultimately passed the House. It does require, however, that cell phone policies include exceptions for medical monitoring and emergency situations.
I’m certainly not opposed, as I think students should focus on their school work while in class. They don’t need cell phones when they all get school-issued devices with access to the internet and all the online research they could want. I do hope, though, that they come up with a different punishment for violations besides making the parents pick up the phone from the school.
