Measure 1 Debate Heats Up: 60% Amendment Threshold Cast as Roadblock to Future Abortion Rights Initiatives
Debate over North Dakota's Measure 1 on the November 3 ballot intensified on October 23. The measure would require at least 60 percent voter support to change the state constitution, up from a simple majority. Some supporters cast it as a firewall against a future abortion rights initiative: North Dakota Right to Life and Catholic bishops John Folda of Fargo and David Kagan of Bismarck have urged yes votes, writing that a 60 percent threshold "would provide an additional safeguard against constitutional changes that could undermine North Dakota's commitment to protecting unborn children."
State Senator Janne Myrdal, an anti-abortion leader, expects the Washington, D.C.-based Fairness Project to push an abortion rights constitutional initiative in 2028. Republican Governor Kelly Armstrong blasted the Fairness Project in an ad by the pro-measure group StrongND. Campaign finance filings as of October 23 show the Fairness Project has spent more than $1.6 million against the measure and StrongND more than $1.5 million in support.
Prairie Action North Dakota Executive Director Amy Jacobson called the messaging a fear tactic and said a 60 percent threshold would give a minority of voters veto power. House Speaker Robin Weisz, who sponsored the measure, said his motivation was protecting the constitution, not blocking abortion rights. Measure 1 itself needs only a simple majority, and the vast majority of recent constitutional amendments in the state have in fact passed with more than 60 percent support.
Source: GSM·America
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：俾斯麦北达科他州议会大厦。摄影：Quintin Soloviev，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: the North Dakota State Capitol in Bismarck, by Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
