Amy Jacobson, Executive Director, Prairie Action ND, Fargo

The people of North Dakota deserve better than HCR 3003 – a proposal at the state legislature that would undermine our rights and our civic powers as citizens. This resolution, like last year’s Measure 2, is an attack on our ability to shape our future through citizen-initiated ballot measures. It’s designed to silence us by raising the voting approval threshold for constitutional amendments to 60%, making it far harder for everyday North Dakotans to be heard.

Ballot initiatives serve as a vital tool for citizens to directly influence policy, especially when legislative bodies are unresponsive to the needs of the people. This right is so important it is enshrined in our state constitution and aptly titled “Powers Reserved to the People”.

HCR 3003 undermines the principle of majority rule, allowing a smaller group to veto initiatives favored by most voters. Meaning if 41% of the voters oppose a measure they would effectively veto the wishes of the other 59%, putting the interest of the few over that of the many.

As a reminder, Measure 2 attempted to eliminate majority rule by requiring citizens to vote twice on a measure before it could become law. It was soundly rejected at the ballot box by 56%.

HCR 3003 doesn’t stop there. It creates a blatant double standard: while citizen-driven initiatives would require a supermajority, proposals from politicians would still pass with a simple majority. This power grab shifts control away from the people and consolidates it in the hands of lawmakers.

We’ve seen these 60% threshold attempts elsewhere — South Dakota, Ohio, Florida, Missouri — and they’re almost always an effort aimed at stifling grassroots democracy. When the bar is raised, it’s harder to fight for schools, healthcare, and the issues that matter most to regular folks.

North Dakotans have already said no to this kind of measure. It’s clear we don’t need more roadblocks to our democratic process. HCR 3003 is a solution in search of a problem, and it’s time to stop it in its tracks.