In North Dakota, SB2271, the “Secret Elections” Bill, Must Be Stopped!
SB2271 is a bill moving through the North Dakota Legislature that would make presidential election vote totals secret until about seven weeks after Election Day, when the Electoral College meets.
Proponents of the bill think it could stop implementation of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which is progressing towards enactment, by preventing the ascertainment of the national vote for president. They are wrong.
Whatever one thinks about the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, the “secret elections” bill, SB2271, is a downright scary idea: It threatens the foundations of North Dakota elections, and it could rob North Dakota voters of their voice in presidential elections.
Bills almost identical to SB2271 were defeated in the South Dakota Senate by a 32–1 vote in 2020, rejected unanimously by a New Hampshire House committee in 2020, and died in committees in the Mississippi House and Senate already in 2021. North Dakota would be wise also to reject the bizarre idea of keeping election results secret.
Why SB2271 Must Be Rejected
Creates Doubt: People would view North Dakota elections with the same suspicion as shady backroom deals that are closed to the public.
Undermines Integrity: Who could have confidence in the integrity of the handling of ballots, the counting of votes, or the reporting of results if there were no numbers against which to verify the process?
Suppresses Participation: When people don’t trust the integrity of the election system, they are less likely to want to be part of the process, and they stay away from the polls on Election Day.
Diminishes Efficacy: People who don’t see that their votes count feel a lack of power and believe the voting exercise doesn’t matter.
Obscures Accuracy: Who could be sure of the accuracy of an election result without vote totals?
Disenfranchises Voters: North Dakota votes would become irrelevant to any exercise in which the vote totals are calculated and reported across the country.
A Scary Scenario
Imagine a scenario in which the states that have adopted the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact could determine that hiding votes in effect disqualifies a state from having its votes counted in the presidential election.
Also, imagine liberal judges and justices agreeing. The states in the Compact could then assert that there is no “statewide popular vote from North Dakota to report and, therefore, ignore every North Dakota vote when calculating the national total.
This would disenfranchise every North Dakota voter—Republican, Democrat, and independent.
Scary!
News
Bismarck Tribune Editorial: Keeping vote count secret a bad solution
In-Forum Letter: Death to North Dakota Secret Elections Act
Scott Hennen Opinion: Bizarre election bill, SB2271, must be defeated
Plain Talk: North Dakota Senate has passed a bill hiding presidential vote counts | INFORUM
What to do
Call your legislator today and demand a “no” vote on SB2271, the “secret elections” bill!