A coalition of North Dakota-based advocacy groups has formed to oppose Measure 1, a ballot initiative asking voters whether state constitutional amendments should require at least 60% of the vote to pass. Opponents argue the measure fundamentally alters North Dakota’s political system, potentially allowing "a minority vote" to "overrule the will and the vote of the majority," according to Amy Jacobson, executive director of Prairie Action North Dakota. The measure, placed on the ballot by the Legislature, is defended by proponents as a necessary safeguard for the state constitution, with some pointing to past amendments that cleared a 60% threshold.
Jacobson, speaking at an event in Fargo on Tuesday, contended that Measure 1 would effectively eliminate a long-standing path for North Dakotans to check their government. Addressing attendees, including University of North Dakota students, she noted that ballot measures are not made "on a whim" but typically follow years of unsuccessful attempts to work with the Legislature. Jacobson described the process as "very laborious." She is also a sponsor of Measure 2, which seeks to provide free K-12 school meals, a proposal that emerged after lawmakers rejected similar legislative efforts.
Proponents, however, maintain that making it harder to change the state constitution is appropriate. On the Plain Talk podcast on Monday, Grafton businessman James Kerian, a proponent of Measure 1, stated that many amendments voters have approved in the last two decades, such as those creating the Legacy Fund or establishing term limits, already received 60% or greater support. Kerian argued that the 60% threshold is not an impossible level for good ideas to clear. North Dakota House Speaker Robin Weisz, R-Hurdsfield, who was the chief sponsor of the bill that became Measure 1, last month cited out-of-state funding for the opposition as a reason to support a 60% vote threshold to protect North Dakotans' interests. Protect the North Dakota Constitution, a group opposing Measure 1, has raised at least $1.75 million in monetary donations, with nearly all of that funding coming from the Washington, D.C.-based Fairness Project, according to online campaign finance reporting.
Jessica Gilbertson, government relations director for the Dakotas for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network of North Dakota, also opposes Measure 1. Gilbertson, who lives in Bismarck, stated her organization believes the measure would make it more difficult to advance public health protections. While her organization is not currently working on public health-related ballot questions, Gilbertson highlighted recent developments in South Dakota as an example of the importance of keeping the ballot measure pathway open. She noted that advocates in South Dakota spent seven legislative sessions trying to pass Medicaid expansion before successfully bringing the issue to a ballot measure, which passed with 56.2% of the vote. Gilbertson pointed out that if North Dakota had a similar important issue that failed to gain legislative traction "session after session," a ballot measure would be the only remaining option. She confirmed her organization is working to oppose similar measures in both North Dakota and South Dakota.
Other members of the coalition opposing Measure 1 include labor unions North Dakota AFL-CIO and North Dakota United, as well as the League of Women Voters of North Dakota and North Dakota Watchdog Network. The debate around Measure 1 centers on whether the 60% threshold serves as a vital protection for the state's foundational document or creates an undue barrier for citizens to enact change.
