A group that wants to do away with North Dakota’s Sunday closing law has taken the first step to put the issue before voters.
“ND Open on Sundays” has submitted language for an initiated measure to Secretary of State Al Jaeger to review.
Under current law, most retailers have to be closed between midnight Saturday and noon Sunday.
"It is time for North Dakotans to choose for themselves when they wish to rest, work, worship and shop," said Fargo businessman Brandon Medenwald, chairman of ND Open on Sundays. "North Dakota's prohibition on Sunday morning sales is arcane, unfair and unenforceable."
If and when the Secretary of State approves the proposed ballot language, the group has to gather just over 13,000 valid signatures to get the measure on the ballot.
Medenwald said this would be on the November ballot in 2018.
"We trust that the people of North Dakota can decide for themselves what's best for the, their families and their businesses," Medenwald said. "We don't believe the state of North Dakota has the right to dictate beliefs onto everybody else."
An effort to repeal the blue law passed the House in the 2017 Legislative session, but was defeated in the Senate.