Latest news with #LeagueofWomenVotersofNorthDakota
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers approve earlier deadline for North Dakota absentee ballots to align with Trump order
Ballots that had arrived by mail or were set aside on Election Day sit on a table at the Cass County Courthouse on Nov. 18, 2024, waiting to be reviewed. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor) The League of Women Voters of North Dakota is asking Gov. Kelly Armstrong to veto a bill that would shorten the window for North Dakotans to submit mail-in absentee ballots. Mail-in ballots are counted in North Dakota so long as they're postmarked by the day before Election Day and are delivered within 13 days of the election. House Bill 1165 would amend this to require mail-in ballots to be received by an election officer by the time the polls close — a change the League in a Tuesday email to members called an 'overreach and overreaction.' 'Eligible North Dakota voters should be able to mail their absentee ballot without fear that their ballot will be tossed out,' Barbara Headrick, the organization's president, said in a statement to the North Dakota Monitor. She said the bill would create obstacles for groups like rural and Native voters, seniors and people with disabilities. The amendment was made to comply with a March 25 executive order issued by President Donald Trump that forbids states from counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day. North Dakota counties report absentee ballots with missing postmarks The bill was originally intended to clean up state law governing elections procedures. The main purpose of the bill is to make ballots easier for voters to understand and make election practices more uniform across the state. It addresses things like write-in candidate deadlines, what counts as a valid residential address and who can remove election judges, for example. 'What's in this bill is what I would refer to as the 'no-brainer' stuff,' Rep. Scott Louser, R-Minot, the bill's primary sponsor, said at its first hearing before the House Political Subdivisions Committee in January. The Senate State and Local Government Committee during committee discussion earlier this month added the deadline change for mail-in ballots. The amendment was brought by the Secretary of State's Office, according to Deputy Secretary of State Sandra McMerty. McMerty in a Tuesday statement to the North Dakota Monitor said the change was suggested to comply with the executive order and to 'remove uncertainty and inconsistencies surrounding postmarking requirements of the USPS.' Since the amendment was introduced after the bill's public hearing in the Senate, the public did not have an opportunity to comment on the proposed changes. States neighboring North Dakota — Minnesota, Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska — already have similar requirements on the books, she noted. Sen. Kristin Roers, R-Fargo, chair of the Senate State and Local Government Committee, said during the hearing the Legislature had weighed adopting the policy before and that she feels it is 'best practice' for elections. The state has been reluctant to change the law in case ballot delivery is delayed by the postal service, Roers said. She said this shouldn't be an issue since the post office treats the election-related mail with extra care. McMerty said the Secretary of State's Office doesn't anticipate the change causing any problems either. 'We don't foresee significant barriers to voters as 0.1% of absentee ballots in the general election were postmarked prior to Election Day and delivered to the county after Election Day,' she told the Monitor. Military overseas ballots wouldn't have to observe the same deadline, they would just have to be mailed by the time polls close on Election Day, the bill indicates. Ballots would have to be received by the time the county canvassing board meets. Voters also would be able to personally hand in their ballots to their county auditor on Election Day before polls close. Voting by mail? Election workers are worried about issues at the Postal Service. The Senate last week voted 43-4 to pass the bill. The House on Monday approved the amended bill by a vote of 85-7. The Legislature in March approved a resolution earlier this session, House Concurrent Resolution 3006, calling on the postmaster general of the United States Postal Service to address problems with mail. 'During testimony, we heard instance after instance of non-delivered or late delivered mail that caused harm to our citizens,' said Sen. Mike Wobemma, R-Valley City, said of the measure on the Senate floor last month. After last June's primary election, at least five North Dakota counties reported receiving absentee ballots by mail with no postmarks. Trump's executive order remains in effect, though a group of 19 states earlier this month filed a federal lawsuit over the directive, arguing that it violates states rights and will make it harder for some Americans to vote. North Dakota is not a party to the lawsuit. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Resolution raising constitutional ballot measure threshold to 60% passes North Dakota Senate
Voters cast ballots at the Hillside Aquatic Complex in Bismarck on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) A bill raising the public vote threshold to 60% to approve constitutional ballot measures in North Dakota passed the Senate Wednesday on a 33-13 vote. House Resolution 3003, sponsored by Rep. Robin Weisz, R-Hurdsfield, would require a 60% threshold to pass both constitutional ballot petitions initiated by the people and constitutional resolutions from the Legislature. 'It's quite likely that we all agree that it should be possible to change our state's foundational document, however it should be more difficult than it currently is,' said Sen. Jeff Barta, R-Grand Forks, who voted in favor of the resolution. Barta said the North Dakota Constitution has been amended 167 times compared to the U.S. Constitution, which has been amended 27 times with stricter rules that include approval from three-quarters of all 50 states. Sen. Dick Dever, R-Bismarck, voted in favor of the bill and said North Dakota voters will still have the final say on the new potential threshold at the ballot box. He added he believes there is a segment of the population that has an agenda to sow division against lawmakers in state government to further an agenda of dissatisfaction. 'I think we should preserve the republic rather than attacking it,' Dever said. Sen. Jeff Magrum, R- Hazelton, voted against the resolution and warned lawmakers that not only would it become harder to pass constitutional measures in the future, but it would be harder to change parts of the constitution already in place. Term limits changes revived for possible statewide vote in North Dakota 'We passed a resolution that is intending to change the constitution on term limits, so when you raise the threshold, you are making it harder to change things that were passed that you think weren't good,' Magrum said. Sen. Sean Cleary, R-Bismarck, voted against the bill and told lawmakers the current ballot petition process serves as an important check on the Legislature. 'Every time the state Legislature has proposed limiting the powers reserved to the people, the voters have wisely rejected that,' Cleary said. Twenty-three pieces of testimony were submitted on the resolution with all but three opposed to raising the threshold. The League of Women Voters of North Dakota was among the opponents, pointing out the defeat last November of Measure 2, which contained several proposed changes to the constitutional ballot measure process. 'For over 100 years, North Dakotans have used direct democracy to shape state policy,' Barbara Headrick, League of Women Voters of North Dakota president, said in a statement Wednesday. 'With the passage of House Concurrent Resolution 3003, the North Dakota Legislature is attempting again to weaken the power of the people to amend our state constitution. … They need to stop trying to limit the voice of the people in the governance of our state.' The resolution passed the House in January on a 65-28 vote. If approved by the Secretary of State's Office, the resolution will be put to the voters during the 2026 general election. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
More than 100 people turn out for Hands Off Jamestown event
Apr. 5—JAMESTOWN — About 130 people gathered on public sidewalks on Mill Hill and 10th Street on Saturday in Jamestown, holding signs in a peaceful protest about cuts to federal programs and the direction of the federal government. The Jamestown Hands Off March was held "in solidarity" with other Hands Off 2025 events around the country, according to Olivia Schloegel, who organized the local event with Barb Lang. Both are members at large of the League of Women Voters of North Dakota, and members of the organization co-hosted the event. "It was meant to be a peaceful, brief but impactful demonstration to show our people power," Schloegel said. "And people are just really scared, a lot of people, so it's good to be together." She said in an email to The Jamestown Sun that the event was a "peaceful collective statement of concern for the checks and balances of government and a call for our representatives to stand up against the destructive cuts to federal services, programs and jobs." The Hands Off 2025 website said April 5 was a day for people to take to the streets nationwide with the message "Hands off!" to fight back against Donald Trump and Elon Musk "taking everything they can get their hands on and daring the world to stop them." Schloegel said people are affected locally by federal cuts, from Social Security to a USDA program that provided food for schools. "And so we wanted to make sure that local folks had an opportunity to show up and speak out against what we don't agree with, which is these destructive cuts at the federal level," she said. People participating carried signs about various issues. Most walked from the sidewalk in front of Newman Signs down Mill Hill, where they were met by others, then stood on the sidewalk holding the signs facing traffic. Some vehicles honked their horns as they drove by in apparent support. Hands Off protests were also scheduled Saturday in Bismarck, Fargo and Minot. The national League of Women Voters was a partner in the coalition in bringing the national day of action event together. Others included the National Education Association, Interfaith Alliance, Human Rights Campaign, United Automobile Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America and Stand Up for Science. A North Dakota News Cooperative poll of 500 North Dakota voters released in March found 52% approved of the job that Donald Trump was doing as president, and 59% approved of the Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk. Several people shared with The Jamestown Sun about the issues that brought them to the event. "I believe that our democracy is at risk and that if we don't stand up, that our Congress is going to let our democracy go away," said Patty Richter. "They're going to let autocracy and oligarchy take over and we will have no more rights. We can be plucked off the streets. We will go the same way as the Nazis did in the 1930s, and we have to do something because our senators, (John) Hoeven and (Kevin) Cramer, are doing absolutely nothing." As a retiree, she is also worried about Social Security and the impact of losing Medicaid on families. "I believe that they are going against the Constitution," Joyce Schulz said. "That we need to protect our national parks. That we need to protect Social Security, that we need to protect free speech and to the rule of law, which is not being followed right now in the United States with all of the executive orders and not listening to the judicial branch." Penny Briese said she was standing up for veterans. "I am a veteran and I'm appalled what's happening to our Veterans Administration. I'm here as a woman," she said. "I'm appalled what they're trying to do to our voting rights, especially married women and poor married women. I am just appalled at what they're doing to our public lands. I mean, those lands belong to us. Donald Trump is our servant. He is here to serve us. What he's doing right now, this is not service to the American people." Lynne Tally, former executive director of Safe Shelter, said cuts to the health department and office that helps combat violence against women brought her to the event. "I'm really concerned that it's going to have a really negative effect on the work that I did for 41 years," she said. "Helping people who are victims of domestic violence and sexual assault." Alan Carlson said the list was long. "I'm here to get Trump out of the way of Social Security, veterans benefits, messing with our kids education, women's choice, it goes on and on and on," he said. "I can't imagine people not standing up." The tariffs were another concern. "My retirement account went down $85,000 in the last two days and I'm a retired teacher so $85,000 to me is my livelihood," Carlson said. "To help trans kids, gay people," Sue Borg said of her reason for participating. "They're just treated like they're not humans." One woman, who did not want to be identified, said "millions of people are suffering because of these actions. And so I want to do something and this is something I can do." Dina Laskowski said it was important for people to come together as a community to support each other. "You know, you're looking at social services, you're looking at things that really impact our community. And all communities," she said. "And if we don't start joining hands ... the hands off is hands off change (to) certain policies that are going to affect our community." She said people are more divisive and should be unified. "You have differences of opinion, everybody looks at things in different perspectives," she said. "That's the important thing, is that we listen to each other and come to a conclusion that affects not 50% but 80 and 90% of the population."
