The group behind a sweeping ballot initiative to overhaul North Dakota elections has withdrawn its measure. Members object to the wording of the measure’s title, though they plan to rework the measure and resubmit it.
The Tribune Editorial Board believes the group has unrealistic expectations for the title.
Under the law, the title must provide “a fair representation of the measure,” not to promote it. That requirement means Secretary of State Michael Howe and Attorney General Drew Wrigley must go to some length to explain a measure.
The initiative to slap age limits on congressional candidates has a title that runs 311 words compared to 231 words for the election measure.
Lydia Gessele, the initiative’s chair, complained the title was “more like an essay.” However, the measure covers a wide range of subjects.
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The proposed measure submitted to the secretary of state would restrict mail-in-voting, prohibit the Legislature from putting constitutional measures on the ballot, increase the time for collecting ballot signatures, allow signature gatherers to be paid by the signature, require paper ballots and hand counting and other changes.
Gessele complained the title didn’t note that election machines would be banned, though that was not directly mentioned in the proposed measure.
When supporters announced the measure, they said it was intended to provide election integrity and a reasonable process for recalls. State election officials have said for years that the state’s elections are secure. The few problems that have occurred are related to signature gathering for ballot measures.
Members of the sponsoring group have expressed doubts about almost everything related to elections. They made a point of prohibiting anything related to elections being connected to the internet.
Lee Ann Oliver, an election specialist with the secretary of state’s office, said North Dakota voting machines haven’t been connected to the internet.
The Tribune Editorial Board, in an earlier editorial, noted that the changes would make voting more difficult. The Tribune believes voting should be easy and any changes should be focused on allowing options for voting early.
The measure, as originally written, would drag out elections through longer lines at polls and the more time it would take to hand count paper ballots. If the sponsoring committee’s intention was to reduce the number of voters, the original measure, if passed, would do so.
It appears they feel they can’t win elections without changing the rules. Unfortunately, the changes would be unfavorable to voters.
How they rework the measure before resubmitting it to the secretary of state remains to be seen. Since there was nothing in the original measure that most people could support, it’s unlikely a reworked measure will gain much traction.
They should drop their effort because there’s little about North Dakota elections that need fixing let alone a massive overhaul.
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