Two Months. Still No In-Person Town Halls.

Tuesday, July 1, marks two months since the League of Women Voters of North Dakota called on Senator Hoeven, Senator Cramer, and Representative Fedorchak to hold in-person public forums. Two in-state work periods have passed and still, no in-person events have been announced.

During this time, we’ve continued to push for direct, face-to-face engagement. Our Board members Mary Tintes and Vicki Voldal Rosenau lifted up our call for in-person town halls: Mary Tintes submitted a Letter to the Editor to newspapers across the state (read in the Fargo Forum or Jamestown Sun), and Vicki Voldal Rosenau was a featured speaker at the No Kings protest in Fargo to reiterate our call for in-person forums.

In early June, our Board president Barbara Headrick sent an email to each member of the delegation, renewing our request, and we have yet to receive a response from Senator Cramer or Representative Fedorchak.

We did receive a prompt response from Senator Hoeven’s office:

“The Senator holds a variety of meetings across North Dakota that individuals are welcome to attend. We will continue to hold these meetings and have productive discussions with North Dakotans. Additionally, our office records and responds to feedback received from constituents over the phone, in the mail and via email and holds office hours for constituents in our field offices in Fargo, Bismarck, Minot, and Grand Forks.”

We’ve analyzed the event data on his website, which contradicts his response:

• Only 17 of his 936 events from August 2014 through April 2025 suggest that the public would be welcome—less than 1% of his events.
• There are 13 public events listed for 2025, including a hearing in DC, a bill signing in Bismarck, a Memorial Day ceremony, 3 press conferences, 6 events at locations inaccessible to the general public, and 2 with a specific audience. None of these events invite the general public to attend or provide details for how to access the events.

We will continue calling on all three of our members of Congress to hold in-person town halls. August has an extended congressional recess, where they will be in state for constituent services. This time should include in-person forums across the state to hear directly from North Dakotans.

Public in-person events are critical right now with Congress passing the “One Big Beautiful Bill” last week. The bill makes cuts to vital services that North Dakotans rely on, like SNAP and Medicaid, and North Dakotans deserve to be heard in-person by our representatives about how the bill will impact them.

Thank you for joining the over 1,000 people who have signed the petition urging North Dakota’s congressional delegation to meet publicly with the people they represent. It shows that North Dakotans want the opportunity to speak directly with their representatives and with one another about the future of our communities.

But we need more North Dakotans to sign. Can you help us reach more people?

✍️ Ask 3 people to sign the petition today: change.org/ndtownhalls

- League of Women Voters of North Dakota

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