Fargo Forum Says "Vote No On Measure 2"
The Fargo Forum is maintaining its long held position of protecting the initiated measure system from legislative attacks.
Measure 2 is just a bad idea.
The Fargo Forum issued it official opinion on the matter this morning:
North Dakota has a strong history of populist politics. It means the will of the people holds power over political elitism.
One of the best examples of this long-standing independence is the ability of North Dakotans to initiate measures. It means if we don’t like something, we can get together and vote to change it.
The initiated measure is a check on those we elect to represent us. It reminds politicians we are in charge. It’s also a right enshrined in North Dakota’s constitution.
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Measure 2 is such an affront to populist politics that former Gov. Ed Schafer, perhaps one of the state’s most populist leaders, has launched a campaign to defeat it.
“Measure 2 is a three-pronged attack on our state’s ballot initiative process that would make it far more difficult for North Dakotans to write, qualify, and pass constitutional amendments in the future,” the former Republican governor said. “The people of North Dakota have proven that they can be trusted to make responsible decisions at the ballot box, which is why Measure 2 is unnecessary.”
We couldn’t agree more.
The good news is that voters get to decide in November whether to weaken their own rights.
They should resoundingly vote “no” on Measure 2 and educate their friends and neighbors to do the same.
By sending a strong message to lawmakers, voters can once and for all show that they want to protect their right to initiate change through a populist process.
And if lawmakers don’t respect that vote this time, perhaps the public should initiate a measure to reduce the size and power of the Legislature.
This editorial is the latest in a long line of stances the paper has taken to keep the Powers Reserved To The People intact.
In 2020, of that year’s Measure 2, the Forum wrote “North Dakota voters should reject Measure 1 and Measure 2, both duds”:
Measure 2 is even worse — a naked power grab by the Legislature to usurp voters’ ability to alter the constitution by initiative petition.
The Legislature is seeking to gut voters’ authority by requiring legislative approval of any initiated measure to amend the constitution passed by voters. If legislators approve the measure, it becomes law. If not, it goes back to the voters at the next general election.
It practically gives legislators veto power over the voters who elected them. It allows legislators to interfere with the will of voters. North Dakota voters in 1914 rejected that form of meddling.
Legislators — and all other elected officials — are accountable to the voters. Measure 2 seeks to turn that upside down and make the will of the voters accountable to legislators.
That’s outrageous.
Measure 2 is a misguided effort by the Legislature to guard against the influence of outside money in influencing attempts to amend the constitution. That’s a valid concern, given passage of Marsy’s Law, the horribly written victim’s rights law.
But inserting legislators into a decision that belongs to the voters isn’t the solution. Voters alone have the authority to amend the North Dakota Constitution. Protect the will of the voters and vote no on Measure 2.
That itself was a follow-up to a 2019 opinion the Forum issued titled “Forum editorial: These ND legislators don’t trust voters. Don't let them succeed”:
Wags are fond of saying that life, liberty and property aren’t safe when the legislature is in session. That’s certainly true at the North Dakota Legislature this session. If a few wrongheaded legislators get their way, North Dakota voters will suffer a significant loss of their liberty — the freedom to alter the North Dakota Constitution at the ballot box.
If Senate Concurrent Resolution 4001 passes, an initiated constitutional measure approved by voters would have to be approved — twice — by the two next legislative assemblies. Keep in mind that the North Dakota Legislature meets only every other year. That means it could take a glacial five years for legislators to act on a measure already passed by voters.
That’s ridiculous. Let’s call this ugly piece of work what it is: The Voter Nullification Act.
Why are some legislators so afraid to allow North Dakota voters to decide what is in their constitution?
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Now comes Senate Concurrent Resolution 4001, a battering ram aimed directly at the will of voters, a right granted by the Constitution some legislators are eager to gut.
These legislators have names: Sen. Dave Hogue, R-Minot, Sen. Dick Dever, R-Bismarck, Sen. Gary Lee, R-Fargo, Rep. Kim Koppelman, R-West Fargo, Rep. Scott Louser, R-Minot, and Rep. Mike Nathe, R-Bismarck.
Voters, don’t sit quietly and allow this outrage to happen. Make your voices heard before your voices are muzzled. Let these and other legislators know that you do not want to surrender the voter’s unencumbered right to change the North Dakota Constitution.
The Forum also has been consistent about private efforts to weaken the system. In April 2021 the Forum wrote “North Dakota voters shouldn’t fall for this stunt to weaken their voice” with regard to the effort by the North Dakota Chamber of Commerce to amend by petition to require a 60% majority on Constitutional Measures.
Why are some people so distrustful of North Dakota voters? A new group has emerged with the name Protect the North Dakota Constitution.
That’s a noble-sounding cause, but make no mistake: This is an effort to weaken the ability of voters to amend the North Dakota Constitution.
By law, an initiated ballot measure that is supported by a simple majority is enough to amend the constitution. That’s a threshold that has been in place for decades.
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But this group aiming to erode voters’ authority wants you to believe that a simple majority sets the bar too low, making it “almost trivialized” to amend the state constitution.
They want to persuade voters to weaken their voice by requiring a 60% supermajority to amend the constitution. In effect, they’re advocating allowing a minority of voters to have veto power over amendments.
That’s a very bad idea. We should leave it to the collective wisdom of voters to decide whether a proposed constitutional amendment is sound, unwise or unnecessary. A simple majority should be trusted to make that decision.
For more on Measure 2: