# Criminal Complaint to be Filed Against Conservation Petiton



## shaug (Mar 28, 2011)

It's an election day in North Dakota. Around the state voters are going to the polls to vote on nominations for statewide elected office, a statewide ballot measure and a host of local candidates and issues.

But outside some polls in the state petitioners working for the Clean Water, Wildlife and Parks amendment (the conservation measure that would divert hundreds of millions in oil tax revenues into a fund) are collecting signatures. The coalition that has formed against the conservation amendment - North Dakotans for Common Sense Conservation - are saying the petition collection is illegal.

They sent out the press release below decrying the signature collection efforts and stating that they will be pursuing a criminal complaint over the practice.

Section 16.1 of the North Dakota Century Code states that petitioners may not work within 100 feet of a polling place.

They also included in their press release the photo above of a conservation petitioner outside of the Alerus Center in Grand Forks. A member of NDCSC I spoke to told me they have reports of this sort of signature collection outside of polling places going on all over the state.

This is just the latest in a string of disappointing signature collection tactics from the conservation activists.

The group has been using paid signature collectors instead of volunteers despite a promise to avoid professional petitioners after tens of thousands of fraudulent signatures surfaced in support of a conservation measure last election cycle.

A sponsor of the measure - the North Dakota Wildlife Federation - also used a state auction to push for the petition, something state Game & Fish Department officials called "disappointing."

And last week I broke a story about hunter safety instructors using classroom time to advocate for the measure and pressure students to sign petitions.

Here's the full press release:

BISMARCK - Members of the North Dakotans for Common Sense Conservation (NDCSC) Coalition have called upon the sponsors of the Clean Water, Wildlife, and Parks Amendment (CWWPA) to halt their illegal signature gathering efforts today at voting locations across North Dakota and announced their organization will be filing formal complaints with the appropriate law enforcement officials within the coming days.

Reports and evidence gathered from a variety of sources within and outside the NDCSC Coalition show that sponsors of the CWWPA have stationed signature gatherers within close proximity to entrances of voting locations in communities across the North Dakota in an attempt to collect petition signatures from voters entering and exiting voting locations who are voting in today's statewide election. The CWWPA Facebook page even includes photos from today's signature gathering efforts near several North Dakota voting locations and encourages people to participate in today's signature gathering efforts through a Facebook event invite.

"This violates North Dakota's election laws," said Jon Godfread, chairman of the NDCSC Coalition. "And, more importantly, it violates the spirit of North Dakota's free and open election process, which is supposed to be void of this kind of activity. Voters should have the right to go to the polls on Election Day and not feel like they are being hassled by signature gatherers or others who wish to influence their vote or take advantage of them on Election Day."North Dakota law is very clear on this activity, according to Godfread. Within the chapter of North Dakota law referred to as "corrupt practices," Section 16.1-10-06.2 of the North Dakota Century Code states, "A person may not approach a person attempting to enter a polling place, or who is in a polling place, for the purpose of selling, soliciting for sale, advertising for sale, or distributing any merchandise, product, literature, or service. A person may not approach a person attempting to enter a polling place, who is in a polling place, or who is leaving a polling place for the purpose of gathering signatures for any reason. These prohibitions apply in any polling place or within one hundred feet [30.48 meters] from any entrance leading into a polling place while it is open for voting." (sentence is underlined for emphasis in this release, but not in the Century Code).

"It is clear from the reports we are hearing and from the photographs on Facebook that the signature gathering is taking place within that one-hundred foot zone," said Godfread. "This is reminiscent of this group's efforts two years ago when their petition was not certified to the state's General Election ballot due to illegal and fraudulent signature gathering." Godfread went on to say, "What's interesting about today's incident is that this group is asking you to trust them with spending billions of our tax dollars on conservation over the 25-year-lifespan of their constitutional amendment. Yet, once again, they cannot be trusted to follow simpleelection laws."

In the coming days, NDCSC will be filing formal complaints with the appropriate lawenforcements officials across the state after compiling the numerous voting locations whereCWWPA signature gatherers were stationed illegally in close proximity to the entrance of votinglocations.

We also encourage voters across the state who observed similar activity while voting today tofile complaints with the appropriate law enforcement officials as well," said Godfread.

For more information about the North Dakotans for Common Sense Conservation Coalition, visit www.NDCommonSenseConservation.com .


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Collecting to close to the voting area is wrong, but is there anything wrong with the Wildlife Federation raising money through an auction. I also am not sure about hunter safety. These guys are volunteers. If they were paid by the state that would be a different story, but they are not. If they are not paid and if they present the hunter safety aspect correctly is anything else anyone's business? To me it looks like his score is one right and two wrong.


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## Longshot (Feb 9, 2004)

Also reported was that they were over 150 feet from the polling site. That would be more than 100 feet shaug if you don't understand that.


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## shaug (Mar 28, 2011)

well, i guess with some people everything has to be defined to the letter T. Yards, feet, inches, fractions. Otherwise they will argue for the middle ground.

People just need to excersize a little commonsense and restraint. Are the conservation boyz that desperate for signatures they need to badger people at the polls or anywhere a crowd gathers? I have more respect for carnies hawking for a dollar chance to throw a baseball at a pile of milk jugs.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Plainsman said:


> Collecting to close to the voting area is wrong


Longshot said:


> Also reported was that they were over 150 feet from the polling site


If they were 150 feet there is nothing wrong with that.

Shaug said:


> People just need to excersize a little commonsense and restraint. Are the conservation boyz that desperate for signatures they need to badger people at the polls or anywhere a crowd gathers? I have more respect for carnies hawking for a dollar chance to throw a baseball at a pile of milk jugs.


Shaug it would be smart to stop the demeaning nature of your comments when people are starting to slide your way. Talk like yours keeps people towards the other side.


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## g/o (Jul 13, 2004)

Signature problem

The incident with the signature seekers occurred at about 2:45 p.m., Bradley said, when voters started complaining that there was a group of people standing in the entryway of the Civic Center stopping people and asking that they sign a petition to put a statewide measure on the ballot in the November general election. They wanted signatures for the proposed Clean Water, Wildlife and Parks Amendment.

"We asked them to move because they were in violation of the North Dakota Century Code," Bradley said.

The code states that people cannot ask for petition signatures within 100 feet of the entrance to a voting location, and those looking for signatures were directly in front of the Civic Center, Bradley said.

"We pointed that out to them, they argued with us and said we were infringing on their constitutional right," Bradley said. "We attempted to explain it to them, and they became hostile to us."

At one point, the people asking for signatures did move, but failed to get 100 feet away, and then law enforcement was called, with first Sheriff Chad Kaiser arriving and then the Jamestown Police Department.

"I believe they confiscated the signature pages from them," Bradley said. "&#8230; we'll be asking that the state's attorney pursues charges against them."

Asking for signatures for a petition within 100 feet of the entryway to a polling place is a class A misdemeanor in North Dakota, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $3,000 fine.

"Other than our lawbreakers, it's been a pretty mellow day," Bradley said. "Everything's been smooth and worked really well. Our staff has done a really good job."

Plains this is in your hometown were you one of them?


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## g/o (Jul 13, 2004)

Sounds to me they were a lot closer than 100 feet


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

> Plains this is in your hometown were you one of them?


I was wondering if anyone would be dumb enough to ask that. When the truth comes out you will look sooooooo foolish.

Edit: by the way, I don't like the way things are being done or the way the initiative is written. I would like to see more hunters involved in the writing of an initiative like this. I respect hunters more than anyone, and trust them further. At this time I can't explain my changing thought. Maybe later.


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## Longshot (Feb 9, 2004)

g/o said:


> Sounds to me they were a lot closer than 100 feet


Tables are set up there during these elections at the civic center in Bismarck for years. Last time it was a table for the property tax initiative located at the same place. I would guess they were at the 100 feet yesterday. At least when I went by there.


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## g/o (Jul 13, 2004)




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## g/o (Jul 13, 2004)

So the Jamestown Sun is reporting this falsely and the Sheriff is not telling the truth? Just saying what I read in the paper


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

> Last time it was a table for the property tax initiative located at the same place.


The next year wasn't that guy in the goofy hat that would hardly let us pass one of the guys for eliminating property tax? In your face your a traitor if you don't sign attitude. I thought about signing that one, but the guys attitude wasn't a selling point. I hate arrogance.


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## g/o (Jul 13, 2004)

My apology Plainsman I thought you lived and voted in Jamestown not Bismark


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

g/o said:


> My apology Plainsman I thought you lived and voted in Jamestown not Bismark


No need for an apology g/o I do live and vote in Jamestown, I was just at the Bismarck hmmm sports show. The Jamestown Sun is not reporting falsely and no one is lying. I'm just saying asking me if I was one of them is going to backfire on you. I'm not trying to debate you at all, I'm just trying to get people to stick to what they actually know until the judge makes his decision which will be better informed than people on the internet.

Edit: Please read my first post again. I said what they did was wrong, and have no problem with how things went down. I only asked if it was wrong for the Wildlife Society to have a benefit auction and hunter safety volunteers to voice their opinion. Then some people got their shorts in a wad.

Edit: Are you guys so all or nothing that you can't stand a guy who is near neutral ground. I only defend when people exaggerate. Right now I don't want to be on either side because I am getting close to not wanting to be associated with any of them.


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## g/o (Jul 13, 2004)

Plainsman, The problem I'm having here is Longshot is referring to Bismarck and I am talking about Jamestown. What happens at a sports show and an election are two different things. According to the Jamestown Sun they were with in 100 feet and became hostile when asked to move. Only reason I asked if you were involved is because you have been a sponsor of these things in the past. I agree let the courts decide, but its funny that years ago whenever a O/G got in trouble you and the people on this site were out to hang them before they ever went to court. Funny how things change when the shoe is on the other foot.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

OG??? I'm not following. I'm going to send you a PM, not nasty or anything, I just want to talk with you and on very respectful terms.


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