How Dare You

How dare you, North Dakota voters. What was it you were thinking when you voted to create an ethics commission and provide additional transparency on lawmakers after they explicitly and repeatedly rejected it themselves? Better yet, why did you force good government into the North Dakota Constitution of all places? This cannot go without immediate and direct response to make sure it never happens again. Voters must be taught a lesson.

That is the message the North Dakota Republican Legislature is sending to North Dakota voters. The coordinated attack on North Dakota voters picked up steam this week when the House Passed HCR 3010 and the Senate Passed SCR 4015. Both measures – sponsored and approved entirely by Republican lawmakers – would increase the requirement for passing a constitutional amendment to 60%. The Senate version goes much further doubling the amount of signatures required to get it on the ballot in the first place and cutting the time to get them to the Secretary of State. Earlier, I wrote about what the new requirements would be if the Legislature got everything they wanted. 

The fact both chambers approved the 60% requirement – among other barriers they desperately want to place on voters – indicates there will without a doubt be a measure on the ballot. Voters will either need to give consent to these changes or reject the Legislative overreach. We will continue to follow this as it gets to conference committee and expose who is trying to do what to voters.

Why are these Republican legislators anti-voter? They claim you are confused and need to be educated. Lawmakers will attempt to make the case they are saving you from outside influences at the ballot box. In reality, they’re really trying to save themselves from you, the voters. Things like ethical government are just too tempting to voters. Only arrogant lawmakers would reject those type of standards for themselves as they’ve repeatedly done. How dare you, North Dakota voters.