Dear Editor,
The North Dakota Legislature is appearing cranky about voters getting what they want through initiated ballot measures.
The latest attempted roadblock thrown up by legislators is Constitutional Measure Number 1 on the June 9 ballot. Lawmakers put this on the ballot because they are upset with voters initiating and approving constitutional amendments which legislators do not like, such as the Ethics Commission.
Measure 1 would limit future imitated constitutional measures to an undefined “single subject.” The Secretary of State would have the authority to say if the measure is about “a single subject.” The problem is the measure does not provide criteria for what a single subject is. That can be matter of opinion as some can see various sections as critical to a measure or not. This would make it difficult for voters to write a measure to meet a requirement that has no criteria. All this would make it easier for elected officials – the Secretary of State in this case – to keep things off the ballot.
In addition, because measures that include multiple issues are usually voted down by the voters, ballot measures are seldom done that way anyway.
So, voting no on Constitutional Measure 1 will make sure North Dakota voters can continue to effectively use the initiated measure process.
Don Morrison, Bismarck, ND, Verified by phone, April 29, 2026 – LAO
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