Petition To “Keep North Dakota Free” During Crisis

Earlier this week, I came across the change.org petition, asking for North Dakotans' signatures, to urge Governor Burgum to issue a shelter-in-place mandate. Now, change.org has an opposing petition. Both petitions are quickly nearing their 5,000 signature goals.

On Monday, I posted about the petition asking the governor to enact a stricter stay-at-home order. The creator, Denise French, states in her petition, "In this very uncertain and scary time, our state needs strong leadership. North Dakota needs a governor who is willing help his state to do everything it can to flatten the curve." French is concerned about needless deaths if we don't stay home.

Luke Tibor, creator of the Keep North Dakota Free petition, sees things a little differently. His petition against French's states, "We also have a great concern for preserving individual liberty. Any such order would be a violation of one's freedom of choice." His petition also mentions that an executive order would be ineffective because there would be exemptions from the order, anyway.

If you've seen any of Governor Burgum's recent press conferences, the phrase "North Dakota Smart" is frequently used. He's trusting us to make the right decisions when it comes to our own health and safety. So, are North Dakotans smart enough to stay safe on their own, or do we need a stay-at-home executive order?