This article was originally published in DakotaNewsnow.com

Back in 2015, there was a concern about hired employees brought to the state and paid to collect petition signatures. Back then, anyone over 18 with an ‘intent’ to live in the state could collect signatures.

On June 23, 2022, five leaders in the political and equal rights movements came together to discuss the current state of democracy and women's role in advancing it. 

Touching on subjects including voter suppression, empowering underserved communities, and attacks on gender and sex-based equality, the panelists had several messages for women working to defend our democracy.

During the Short Legislative Session we celebrated the passage of laws to expand access to absentee ballots and address the climate emergency, while recognizing the failure of the legislature to pass other key bills to protect voting rights, protect state referenda from the influence of foreign money, and ensure transparency and access to the workings of government. Read on to find out what happened during the Short Session.

While we can’t change the makeup of the current Supreme Court, we can elect lawmakers with the power to protect the right to an abortion and make reproductive rights the supreme law of the land – invulnerable to the sweeping reversals of the Supreme Court. The simplest, most accessible action we can take is to vote. Vote as if our lives depend on it—because they do. In a healthy democracy, bodily autonomy cannot be dependent on personal luck but must be a fundamental right guaranteed to each and every American.