fbpx
Published March 31, 2023

Senate Votes to Give SOS More Power 

Written by
Lydia Hoverson
| The Dakotan
Sen. Judy Lee, R-Dis. R-Dis. 13, West Fargo, stands in favor of a bill to give the North Dakota Secretary of State more authority in the petition process. (Photo: Lydia Hoverson/The Dakotan)
Sen. Judy Lee, R-Dis. R-Dis. 13, West Fargo, stands in favor of a bill to give the North Dakota Secretary of State more authority in the petition process. (Photo: Lydia Hoverson/The Dakotan)

Bill Requiring Discretion of Signature Validity 

lydia.hoverson@mydakotan.com  

BISMARCK – A bill to give the North Dakota Secretary of State more authority in the petition process has passed the State Senate. 

House Bill 1324 would require the Secretary of State to use discretion over the random sampling process as to the validity of signatures for an initiated ballot measure. If the SOS determines a petition to be insufficient and blocks the measure from being placed on the ballot, the bill would make that action lawful unless rebutted by clear and convincing evidence. 

“The clear and convincing evidence standard means that the evidence is highly, substantially more likely to be true than untrue according to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling,” said Sen. Judy Lee, R-Dis. R-Dis. 13, West Fargo. “Your State and Local Government committee unanimously supported 1324 for clarifying the situation of approval of signatures and asks the Senate to concur.” 

This comes after the North Dakota Supreme Court, in September, overturned a District Court ruling which was in favor of the SOS who threw out 29,000 signatures for the term limits measure. 

HB1324 passed the Senate by a vote of 43 to 3, the House by a vote of 92 to 1, and will be sent to the governor for consideration. 

Stay connected to the latest news
Subscription Form (#3)

About the Author

Trending Now
The Dakotan Newsletter
Subscribe to get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox
Newsletter Form (#4)
© AndMuse, LLC 2024 Login Email
LIVE: 2022 Minot Mayoral Forum
Click to Watch Live
cross
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram