(NewsDakota.com) – North Dakota voters will decide on a significant change to the state’s initiative process in the November 5th election. The proposed “North Dakota Single-Subject Requirement for Initiatives and Require Constitutional Initiatives to be Passed Twice Amendment” seeks to amend the state’s approach to citizen-led initiatives.

A “yes” vote on the amendment would support several changes: establishing a single-subject rule for all initiatives, whether statutory or constitutional, as determined by the Secretary of State; increasing the signature requirement for constitutional amendment initiatives from 4% to 5% of the state’s resident population; and requiring proposed constitutional initiatives that qualify for the ballot to be placed first on the next primary election ballot. If approved in the primary, these initiatives would then appear on the subsequent general election ballot, where they must be approved again to become effective.

A “no” vote would reject these proposed changes, keeping the current initiative process without the single-subject rule and without altering the signature requirements and election process for constitutional amendments.

The amendment would implement a single-subject rule, ensuring that each initiative focuses on only one issue, as determined by the Secretary of State. This rule is currently not in place in North Dakota, making it one of nine states without such a requirement. The proposed changes also include increasing the number of signatures needed for placing a constitutional initiative on the ballot, from 4% to 5% of the state’s population. Additionally, the amendment would introduce a process where proposed constitutional amendments must be approved in two consecutive elections to take effect. This would mean that initiatives would first appear on the primary election ballot and, if successful, on the general election ballot for final approval.

According to Balletpedia.com, supporters of the amendment, including State Sen. David Hogue, State Sen. Janne Myrdal, and State Rep. Mike Lefor, argue that these changes would streamline the initiative process and ensure that significant constitutional amendments receive thorough consideration. Opponents, such as former Governor Ed Schafer and the Democracy Docket, view the amendment as part of a broader trend to limit voter influence on important issues. Schafer emphasizes the importance of maintaining a mechanism for direct citizen influence on government actions when legislative responses do not reflect the will of the people. The Voter Defense Association of ND is also registered to oppose the measure, expressing concerns over its potential impact on citizen-led initiatives.

The ballot title for the amendment is: “This constitutional measure would amend and reenact sections 2, 3, 4, and 9 of Article III of the Constitution of North Dakota, relating to initiated constitutional amendments. The proposed amendments would require both constitutional and non-constitutional initiated measures to be limited to one subject as determined by the Secretary of State, and increase the number of signatures required to place a constitutional initiated measure on the ballot from four percent to five percent of the North Dakota resident population. Additionally, constitutional initiated measures would be voted upon by the voters at the next primary election and, if approved by a majority of the voters, at the general election immediately following the primary election.”