WDAY: FARGO- An initiated ballot measure that would allow retail stores to be open on Sundays was submitted to the North Dakota Secretary of State for approval Tuesday, July 18. The measure would change the state’s Century Code to remove all restrictions on retail openings by repealing the section that requires closings.
Once the language is approved, volunteer signature gatherers will have until July 9, 2018 to submit enough signatures for the measure to be on the November 2018 ballot. “It is time to let North Dakotans choose for themselves when to rest, worship, work and shop,” Brandon Medenwald, chair of the measure’s sponsoring committee, said. “North Dakota’s current prohibition on Sunday morning shopping is arcane, unfair and unenforceable. It is time to give North Dakotans the right to choose what is best for themselves, their families and their businesses. Government has no right to force their beliefs on the rest of us.”
The proposed measure looks to repeal Sections 12.1-30-01, 12.1-30-02 and 12.1-30-03 of the North Dakota Century Code.
The measure will also amend and reenact North Dakota Century Code Section 12.1-30-04. This section states that “a retail business may not be required to be open on Sunday as a part of a lease agreement, or any other contractual arrangement made and executed prior to January 1, 2019.” A violation of this section is a class A misdemeanor.
Alcohol and automobile sales, which are different areas of the Century Code, will be unaffected by this measure.
