And the Votes are in...
It’s over, the votes are in, and we North Dakotans have spoken. Before going into the results, just think about the fact that you voted. You had the opportunity to directly elect federal and state candidates to office, vote on important ballot measures, and make your voice heard on local issues. It’s a privilege that billions of people around the world do not have. We need to thank the Lord for the privilege to guide our country through this democratic process.
The Results
The following table summarizes results for candidates who were on the Nov. 8 ballot and who our sister organization, North Dakota Family Alliance Legislative Action (NDFALA), endorsed or publicly supported.
Election Results for Endorsed/Supported Candidates
Endorsed/Supported Candidate and OfficeResultJohn Hoeven, US Senator for North DakotaWONJason Dockter, Representative for District 7WONMatt Heilman, Representative for District 7WONCole Christensen, Representative for District 24WONDwight Kiefert, Representative for District 24WONKelby Timmons, Representative for District 26WONJeremy Olson, Representative for District 26WONKeith Boehm, Senator for District 33WONLarry Klemin, Representative for District 47WONMike Moschenbacher, Representative for District 47WONKathy Skroch, Representative for District 25LOST
As you can see, of the eleven candidates we endorsed or supported, ten won their races.That represents a 91% win rate!In addition, we came out against Measure 2 that would have legalized recreational marijuana, and that too was a win, with the measure going down to defeat.
In all these cases, thank you for making your voice heard.We didn’t get these legislators elected, you did.We simply did the research and made recommendations to help identify candidates with your values. Aside from these candidates, there were many other candidates elected to office who are God-fearing men and women and who will stand firm on their values, and we are very thankful for them as well.
The Future
As the legislative session begins, it will be all about integrating faith into public policy for these successful candidates. NDFA/NDFALA will continue to prepare for the 2023 legislative session. We already hosted two groundbreaking meetings to discuss legislation for this session: one with the major ND nonprofits that undertake policy work and the other with legislators.
There are going to be good and bad bills for families introduced into the legislature. We are committed to fight for your deeply held beliefs on all of these bills. We will pro-actively find sponsors in the legislature who will introduce and shepherd bills, and we will work with Senators and Representatives on both sides of the aisle to get the bills signed into law.
Your Role
As with the election, we will need your help accomplishing all this. You can help us in many ways.
Pray: We need your prayers to sustain our work and the work of legislators who will often come under attack for standing firm on biblical values.
Respond: If you are on our email list, you will receive important notifications concerning bills. When you see our action requests, please respond and contact your legislators. It only takes a few minutes and we promise to ask for this type of help on only most critical bills (no “crying wolf” on every bill). If you have friends who are unfamiliar with us but share your values, feel free to send them to our website to also sign up for emails.
Support our Work: Right now we particularly need your generous support to fund our activities during the legislative session. It is an enormous amount of work to analyze 1,000+ bills, identify those that most impact biblical values, strategize how best to act on each bill, coordinate with legislators, keep you notified on developments, and ask for your help on only
the most critical bills (i.e., no “crying wolf” on every bill). Please prayerfully consider helping underwrite our work and support our legislative efforts on behalf of your values. This year, generous donors have pledged matching funds, so that donations up to $25,000 will be matched dollar-for-dollar from now until the end of this calendar year, so be sure to take advantage of this opportunity to “give twice”.
Thank you again for voting yesterday. This election was a shining example of how Christians in North Dakota can make a difference for pro-life and pro-family biblical values!
Get your sample ballot today!
As you are most certainly aware, the midterm elections are Tuesday, and the implications are massive both here in North Dakota and across the nation. Every voter will face choices, and those choices will impact a host of issues from abortion to religious liberty, taxes, and more.
One of the worst things a voter can do, however, is to enter the ballot box not knowing who – and by extension what – they are voting for.
To assist with this problem, we’re encouraging all North Dakotans to access their sample ballot, which will show them who is appearing on their specific ballot, so they can do their research ahead of time.
Here’s how to access yours:
Start by clicking this link.
Put in your house number and zip code under “Search by Address” and hit “Search”.
Select your actual address (i.e., house number + street).
Look at the gray bar across the top and click on “My Ballot”.
The bottom item is “Sample Ballot”. Click it and then click “View Sample Ballot” on the page that pops up.
We have been asked by some of you whether we produced a voter guide for this election. Unfortunately, we have not been able to create one, given the research requirements and cost. However, we have other resources available to you on our Resources page, including voting scorecards for incumbent candidates, polling locations, how to find your legislators, new district maps, and more.
Of course, if you have any other questions about specific races, you’re always welcome to contact us at 701-355-6425 or by email at mark@ndfamilyalliance.org.
Finally, if you value NDFA’s work to promote life, marriage, religious liberty, parental rights, and the general cause of freedom, would you consider joining us with a one-time or recurring gift today?
Thank you so much for making your voice heard this coming Tuesday! We’ll see you at the ballot box!
Recreational Marijuana: Is it Really Worth the Fight?
I’m tired of hearing about recreational marijuana, and I bet you are as well. It comes up as ballot measures, such as Measure 2 on this November’s ballot. It has been introduced multiple times during legislative sessions. The media pushes it relentlessly and those who would see North Dakota fully legalize it continue to wage war by pouring millions of dollars into ND from out-of-state. After a while, you feel like just throwing up your hands and saying, “OK, it is inevitable anyway, let’s just get it over with”.
I could go into a long litany of the harmful effects of recreational marijuana. It is addictive and has adverse effects on mental health and intelligence. Driving while acutely intoxicated with marijuana greatly increases the risk of fatal motor vehicle collisions, and states with legal use of recreational marijuana have seen substantial increases in marijuana related DUIs. The lack of reliable testing methods is a direct threat to workplace safety. And the list goes on. Our organization agrees that these effects pose an undeniable danger and more than outweigh any purported benefit the other side would have us believe, not to mention mistreats our bodies from how God intended. We are proud to stand against Measure 2 with allies such as the ND Sheriffs and Deputies Association, Greater ND Chamber, ND Catholic Conference, ND Petroleum Council, and Lignite Energy Council.
Of course, those on the other side of the issue have their own arguments, from comparing legalized recreational marijuana use to legalized alcohol consumption, to noting that almost half of all states (including DC and Guam) have decriminalized it. Apparently, North Dakotans are just “sticks-in-the-mud” and are still living in the 1950s. We need to be like the “cool kids” and participate.
You’ve heard all of this and more. But I want you to focus on something a bit different. Almost all of you are parents, and some of you are even blessed to be grandparents. I want you to focus on your children and grandchildren for a moment.
Proponents of Measure 2 would argue that the ballot measure only legalizes the possession of recreational marijuana for those 21 years old and older, which is true. Based on state law, do you know what the legal age is for drinking in North Dakota? 21 years old. Purchasing cigarettes? 18 years old (federal). Viewing pornography or explicit “girly magazines”? 18 years old (federal).
Now, I’m sure your kids and grandkids generally make good decisions, but can you honestly say that they have never done nor will ever do any of the aforementioned activities while underage? Closer to home, how many of you can claim you never drank any alcohol at an age when it was illegal? So, the argument that legalized marijuana will only be more available and used by those over the age of 21 is simply untrue.
Growing up can be difficult, especially during the teen years. Our children and grandchildren are precious and we would do anything for them. How about something simple, like voting “No” on Measure 2 in the next election and eliminating one more possible enticement for them. Yes, we’re all getting tired of hearing about the issue, but think of it this way. If you would be willing to risk your life or sell your possessions to protect your children, then being tired is a poor excuse for not voting to protect them from legalized marijuana. Make the right choice for the next generations of North Dakotans. Make this decision part of a legacy you’ll be proud to hand off to them someday.
LGBT Discrimination and Bullying
There is growing validation of a type of oppression syndrome for those in the LGBT community. As a result, we as a society more and more simply accept that they are being discriminated against. We have a President, Federal and State agencies, large corporations (e.g., Disney, Amazon), and others with power, who insist that LGBT bullying and discrimination happen on a widespread basis, and as a result, put laws and rules and policies in place to eliminate and/or prevent it.
We see many examples of reinforcement that those in the LGBT community are not safe from “us”. Just recently, I was traveling and saw a rainbow background color police badge in a coffee shop window and it had these words: “SAFE PLACE, Report Hate Crimes, this location is a safe place for victims of hate crimes and harassment to call 911 and wait for police to arrive”. I wonder if they have a badge with a cross or unborn child on it to support those who are victims of hate crimes and harassment because of their faith or pro-life stance?
It's reasonable to wonder about LGBT discrimination specifically here in North Dakota. Organizations like the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law have looked into this. The William Institute appears to be a respected and essentially pro-LGBT entity, that conducts surveys and research to, “ ensure that facts — not stereotypes — inform laws, policies, and judicial decisions that affect the LGBT community.” Looking at their facts, they found that if ND laws were put in place to prevent LGBT individuals from employment discrimination (as have been proposed at multiple state legislative sessions), the number of sexual orientation/gender identity employment discrimination complaints would increase state-wide. By how much you ask? By 3 complaints.
What about other types of discrimination, such as discrimination at our state's colleges and universities? The Williams Institute surveyed 629 LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ students across the nation on discrimination experienced at their four-year institutions. Let’s assume that the surveying was a 50-50 split along gender/sexual orientation lines, then roughly 315 survey participants would have been LGBTQ. If these 315 LGBTQ students were geographically spread across all states based upon state populations, then slightly less than 1 LGBTQ student was surveyed in ND. If we take yet another approach and spread those 315 LGBTQ respondents by state shares of LGBTQ individuals, it would mean just under 9 students were surveyed. Since the study found that 33% of LGBTQ students experienced bullying, harassment, or assault at college – that’s 3 college students in ND. While this should never happen, keep in mind that North Dakota has tens of thousands of students in 4-year institutions.
Does discrimination against LGBT individuals exist in ND? I’m sure it does. But it’s clearly far from any catastrophic situation we would be led to believe by our government and the media.
On the other hand, I can personally attest that bullying and harassment does happen on a significant scale to those of us on the other side of LGBT issues. People and organizations that try to protect your values and biblical foundations of marriage and sexuality, such as NDFA, are called homophobic, sent hateful and vulgar emails and letters, are cursed at, and more. Event organizers focused on gender issues are harassed, and social pressure is exerted so that businesses are afraid to sponsor and be associated with anything public proclaiming the truth about the LGBT movement. And this is not in California, New York, or Oregon. This is in North Dakota, folks.
So, where do we go from here? Let me be clear that I bear no ill will toward individuals of the LGBT community. They have been created in the likeness of God, as we all have, and everyone in their community has inherent worth and dignity. I may not agree with their lifestyle choices, but such is a pluralistic society. In fact, those on the opposite side of LGBT issues and I have occasionally briefly chatted at the Capitol when testifying. I actually appreciate these civil conversations and hope we can have more, so that I can better understand their perspective on issues and vice versa (yes, this is an invitation!).
In contrast, I am not as enamored with the leaders of the LGBT cause on the national level. They are the ones with wholesale social change at the top of their agenda, the ones pushing for federal laws that infringe on your and my rights, the organizations and individuals who are crying “victim” and influencing everything from national politics to the books in your child’s classroom. They are bullying corporations to adopt politically correct policies, lest they be shamed and have it impact their bottom line.
It is incumbent on us as Christians to do two things in these matters. First, never give up our values and our desire to preserve the fundamental biblical truths upon which this country was established. Second, never stop loving those who differ from us on this issue. I think we can agree that discrimination and bullying of LGBT community members should not occur in North Dakota. It may not happen to a great extent in our state, but I certainly hope and pray that it is never by you and me, followers of Christ.
Common FAQs about NDFA
I travel across our state and meet with constituents such as yourself whenever I have a chance. I love learning about you and your families, finding out your thoughts on policy issues, and providing information that you may need. In the course of my visits, I often get asked the same questions, so I thought I’d answer a few of those in this week’s email.
Q: What is the difference between North Dakota Family Alliance (NDFA) and North Dakota Family Alliance Legislative Action (NDFALA)?
A: Both organizations support the work we do and are under our “umbrella”, but given IRS guidelines, there are certain things NDFA cannot do, since it is a tax-exempt organization. NDFA can do advocacy, education, host conferences and rallies, get involved in critical issues in our state (e.g., Pledge of Allegiance by Fargo School Board) and so on, but it can’t really get involved in elections or do lobbying to any significant extent. As you might imagine, these are two really important things we undertake. As a result, we set up NDFALA which is classified as a 501(c)(4) by the IRS and is able to do this work.
Q: So should I donate to NDFA or NDFALA?
A: As described above, both organizations work on your behalf to integrate biblical principles into policy and defend your values here in ND. Right now, we need to prepare for the 2023 legislative session and make sure we have enough funds to keep us going during those months, working with the legislature on your behalf. As a result, donations to NDFALA are more urgent right now.
Q: What makes NDFA/NDFALA different than all the other organizations that defend our values and send me mail?
A: There are a few things that are unique to NDFA and our partner organization NDFALA.
We focus on North Dakota, and we typically get involved in national issues to the extent they influence our state. For donation requests that come in the mail, you can always tell it’s us by the buffalo logo (see above) or the words “North Dakota” somewhere on the donation return envelope address. Keep in mind that national organizations do important work as well, defending biblical values, so their presence is also of great importance. However, if you want to focus on laws and issues that directly affect North Dakota, NDFA and NDFALA have been created from the ground up to do precisely that.
All NDFA’s and NDFALA’s Board of Directors members are right here in North Dakota. They were born and have lived in ND their whole lives, so they understand you and your values better than anyone.
We are the official family policy council for our state. This means that we, like state family policy councils in 41 other states, have been designated as the lead on pro-family and pro-life issues by the Family Policy Council Alliance that serves as an umbrella group across the US.
We are one of the most highly respected Christian policy organizations in North Dakota. Ask around – our reputation for making a real difference protecting your values is well known.
Q: Are there any job opportunities to work for NDFA or NDFALA?
A: Yes. We are planning to advertise for a paid internship with NDFALA shortly. Watch for more information via email and on our Facebook sites. In addition, we are always looking for volunteers, particularly to help with events.
Q: You used to have dessert galas each year, but have now stopped. Will you once again hold these?
A: Yes, we will. Banquets will once again be held now that we are independent, and we are planning a full banquet in June of 2023. We already have a top-tier speaker lined up and you will really enjoy hearing this person present!
Q: Where are you physically located?
A: In Bismarck, but we travel the entire state, meeting with individuals. If you are interested in meeting or having us speak to a group or your church, give us a call or send an email and we’ll see if something can be arranged.
Q: How long have you been in existence?
A: NDFA was formed over 35 years ago (1987). We were part of the national organization Family Policy Alliance from 2016 through 2021, but are now once again a fully independent North Dakota organization.
Q: Can I reach out and discuss or ask questions about particular policy subjects?
A: Absolutely. That is one of the primary reasons we exist – to help educate North Dakotans on government actions/policies and provide insights on how they can best ensure we stay a state where faith, family, and freedom honor God. Simply call (701) 355-6425 or email us at mark@ndfamilyalliance.org.
Q: Aside from donating and voting, what else can we do to help you?
A: Pray! Prayer is powerful and we always need lots of it, particularly in the coming months.
In addition to these FAQs, I encourage you to check out the FAQs on our website for more information about us, and particularly to learn about and get involved in the political process here in ND.