As you probably already know, there’s a movement to end North Dakota’s ban on Sunday morning shopping– otherwise known as a “Blue Law”. The remnants of a more stringent law established at the time of statehood.
Earlier this month, I wrote about the fact that the non-profit group known as “North Dakota Open on Sundays” had already collected about 25% of the required 13,452 signatures needed by July 9, 2018 to put the issue to a vote of the people in the November 2018 General Election. At the time, the signatures collected also represented about 17% of their own self-imposed goal of gathering 20,000 signatures.
One of the challenges facing North Dakota Open on Sundays is collecting signatures during the frigid winter months. Well, this morning Fargo businessman and Sponsoring Committee Chairman, Brandon Medenwald, e-mailed me to let me know that the group has now gone live with an idea to help resolve the winter challenge. It is a “Fall Pledge Drive”. The idea is pretty simple. According to their website, this is how it works:
“Commit to completing one packet of 50 signatures by the end of the year. You can’t sign yourself, but any other qualified individual can sign in your presence. In January, we will mail you a self-addressed, stamped envelope to mail your packet back to us. It’s that easy!…
“If you didn’t get all the way to the pledged total of 50 to complete the packet, the signatures you did collect still count! When the envelope arrives in January, simply notarize the final page for the signatures you did collect and mail them back to us. Every signature counts on our way to 20,000!”
The most fascinating part of the pledge drive kick-off is the video done giving a history of North Dakota’s Blue Laws. It’s not a long video and I highly recommend you watch it. It completely exposes how inconsistent and ridiculous the law really is.
If you’d like to participate in the Fall Pledge Drive, click here. You’ll get all the instructions you’ll need. It’s a very simple process.
As I’ve said in the past, the best way to handle the Blue Law is to eliminate it. Remember, governments should only be empowered to do those things that the people they represent have the power to do themselves. And since we do not have the right to dictate to our neighbors when they can or cannot open their businesses, then the state shouldn’t be dictating it either.
Sources:
1. https://www.ndopenonsundays.com/
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzMZdD0YkQI
3. https://theminutemanblog.com/single-post/2017/10/03/Efforts-to-End-Sunday-Closing-Law-are-Progressing-Well 4. https://theminutemanblog.com/single-post/2017/07/07/Is-it-the-Beginning-of-the-End-for-NDs-Sunday-Closing-Law
