The modern political landscape shows that money is able to push the priorities of the upper class and corporations into the ballot box and legislative sessions. This leaves regular, everyday citizens feeling like their voices are being drowned out, and that their representatives aren’t acting in the interests of the constituents.
Government officials may misuse their power for a litany of reasons, like hubris, greed, or entitlement. Power can be a corrupting force. It all boils down to one adjective: unethical.
Do North Dakotans think their elected officials may act unethically? Yes. Overwhelmingly so, according to a new survey done by the ND Ethics Commission. The survey was given to North Dakota residents, business owners, lobbyists, employees of advocacy groups, and elected officials.
from the North Dakota Monitor reports that about two-thirds of the 1,025 respondents show a lack of confidence in their elected officials to act ethically. Conflicts of interest and the misuse of public office were named as top concerns.
Notably, lobbyists were the only demographic that expressed high confidence in officials’ behavior.
When asked what eroded their trust, the overwhelming majority of open-ended responses pointed to the high-profile child sex abuse conviction of former Republican State Senator Ray Holmberg, while others mentioned the political influence of the oil and gas industry, and officials’ attempts to hinder the Ethics Commission.
Other responses offered criticizm to the Commission, claiming it overreaches and exceeds its authority. Others reprimanded the slow crawl the Commission has taken toward effectiveness.
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