About Us

In 2007, concerned citizens met to discuss what could be done about the ever-increasing property tax abuses levied upon the citizenry of North Dakota.

Citizens young and old were struggling to pay the government rent. Many residents were having their homes seized or were forced to sell their home because of their inability to pay the abusive property tax. This government confiscation of citizens property continues today.

This injustice needed to be addressed by the citizens as state and local officials had given token attention to this issue.

The questions were simple:

◌ Could taxes be simplified?
◌ Are they fair, and if not, how could that be improved?
◌ Why are they so divisive?
◌ Is there a way to make property taxes understandable to the average taxpayer?
◌ How can the property tax system be reformed?

Numerous meetings were held. Dozens of ideas were discussed. Many proposals were set forth but after months of study and discussion it became apparent the property tax system couldn’t be fixed. Measure 2 and its support organization Empower The Taxpayer were born.

Measure 2 and Empower The Taxpayer is a grass-roots movement at its best. The energy and message behind Empower The Taxpayer and Measure 2 is quite simple. The right of the citizens of North Dakota to be permanently secure in their homes from government confiscation of their property. Measure 2 provides this security.

The Empower The Taxpayer is a non-profit political coalition dedicated to the proposition that government stability need not come at the expense of the security and stability of the people it serves. Members of this coalition and sponsors of Measure 2 come from all walks of life, public and private, and includes homeowners, renters, farmers and ranchers, single mothers, grandparents, business owners, county commissioners and State Legislators.

Chairman: Charlene Nelson

Charlene Nelson has been involved in politics for 16 years, serving as state chairman of the Constitution Party and leading several petition drives to get candidates and initiatied measures on the ballot in North Dakota. In 2001 she was the chairman of Protect Our Privacy, the citizen’s group that successfully repealed SB 2919, a bill that gutted financial privacy. As the current North Dakota state coordinator for the Campaign for Liberty Charlene educates people on political issues and effective activism and encourages citizen involvement. Mrs. Nelson has a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in Portuguese and History. She lives in Casselton with her husband and homeschools their three sons.

Legal Counsel: Robert Hale

Robert Hale is a businessman, attorney, entrepreneur, and the director of a public interest law firm. Since 1976, he has been a successful builder and developer, operating single and multifamily housing in addition to actively building and operating retirement and assisted living facilities in the upper Midwest. He served on the board of directors of both the Western Center for Law and Religious Freedom and the Ward County (ND) Farm Bureau, and he is a member of the Heritage Foundation National Legal Strategies Forum. Mr. Hale has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a minor in Sociology from the University of Washington (Seattle) and a J.D. from Gon- zaga University Law School in Spokane, Washington. He lives in Minot, ND.

Regional Chairmen:

Measure 2 - The Second Shot Heard Around The World.

Please join us in our efforts and support Property Tax Revolution. It’s Our Home, Not Theirs.