Our Vision for a Modern Government in North Dakota

Our Vision for a Modern Government in North Dakota

Over the course of this campaign cycle, we have been touring the state — from Wahpeton to Williston — speaking to business owners, nonprofit leaders, employers, and local elected officials about how our state government is not meeting their needs in an efficient and timely manner.

We want to change that. Last week we debuted our vision for a modern state government. By making changes to the Secretary of State and Tax Commissioner offices, we can make it easier for companies to do business and nonprofits to serve our communities.

When we are elected, we will work with stakeholders and other agencies to

establish “ND Hub”. This will be a centralized online one-stop shop for businesses, nonprofits, employers, and other organizations that would create efficiencies in how they i

nteract with our government while saving money and reducing costs for taxpayers. Instead of having separate log in portals for each agency that you interact with, there should be one portal, where you can accomplish all of the tasks required of you as a business owner.

The ND Hub will be developed around four central pillars:

  • Input from stakeholders: We will partner with business owners, nonprofit leaders, and agency specialists to develop a one-stop shop for businesses, nonprofits, farmers, and employers. Unfortunately, these voices have been shut out of current reform initiatives, but we believe in ensuring North Dakota’s stakeholders have a seat at the table.
  • Centralized information and registration: With a single online portal, businesses and nonprofits can be sure they have all the information to register and remain compliant with all state regulations, from year to year. This will also help the Secretary of State and Tax Commissioner offices ensure that organizations in North Dakota are following state law.
  • Break down silos: When government agencies don’t talk to each other, it is easy for things to fall through the cracks and for businesses to get frustrated. By breaking down silos and ensuring that all government agencies are talking to each other, we can better serve stakeholders, reducing fees and costs to taxpayers.
  • Increase Transparency: Government officials should be engaged with their constituents year round, not just while the legislature is in session or during an election year. We envision a responsive, visible, and transparent government that will do more to foster business development and community engagement in North Dakota.

We have traveled tens of thousands of miles across our state talking to North Dakotans who are frustrated by the slow pace of reform and are looking for fresh ideas on how to make our government more efficient and intuitive. The ND Hub is a big step towards bringing North Dakota’s government into the 21st century, and we look forward to implementing our vision in 2019.

– Dem-NPL Tax Commissioner candidate Kylie Oversen and

State Rep. and Secretary of State Candidate Josh Boschee