BadAss Grandmas want you to get involved for democracy

This article is part of U.S. Democracy Day, a nationwide collaborative on Sept. 15, the International Day of Democracy, in which news organizations cover how democracy works and the threats it faces. To learn more, visit usdemocracyday.org.

An effort that started with four North Dakota women pushing for a state ethics commission has evolved into a larger movement to promote democracy.

The BadAss Grandmas for Democracy is a nonpartisan, grassroots group that aims to get people more involved in promoting good governance. 

The group’s to-do list includes empowering voters, encouraging people to run for office and supporting ethical candidates from any party.

“We want to be a movement that will engage people locally,” said Lyn Dockter-Pinnick, who facilitates the group’s monthly virtual meetings. “Because democracy isn’t a spectator sport. It has to involve citizen participation.”

The group initially formed to advocate for integrity in government through a citizen-initiated ballot measure. Voters approved the measure in 2018, establishing the North Dakota Ethics Commission to promote transparency and accountability of state government. 

Ellen Chaffee, one of the founders, said the women stayed engaged after the vote because they feared the Legislature would undermine the intent of the initiative.

“It was important to keep the pressure on and it took a number of months to get the members appointed,” said Chaffee, former president of Valley City State University and Mayville State University. 

The BadAss Grandmas have since pivoted to promoting civic involvement, said Dina Butcher, another founding member.

The group’s name was coined after a friend of Butcher’s grandson saw a photo of the original members and remarked that his grandmother is a “badass.” The women embraced the nickname.

“There are two kinds of people in the world – there are the badasses who go out and get things done, and then there are the tight-asses that just sit around and complain about everything,” Butcher said.

The group is open to anyone and not limited to North Dakota residents. About 260 members are on the group’s email list with attendance varying for meetings.

“You don’t need grandchildren to be a BadAss Grandma, and you don’t even need to be female,” Chaffee said. “My husband is a BadAss Grandpa.”

Members come from all walks of life and political beliefs.

Butcher said she was a Republican who worked for various conservative lawmakers throughout the years, but broke from the party in the 2010s over its stance on reproductive rights. She said she still holds many conservative values but felt left behind by the Republican Party.

Chaffee ran in 2012 as the Democratic-NPL Party’s lieutenant governor candidate, but she said she considers herself an independent. Another founding member is former North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Sarah Vogel, a Democrat.

Butcher said she sees the BadAss Grandmas movement as a “rallying cry” for more women to get involved and run for office. 

“I think the main thing is that we are networking with a lot of other groups, be they national or local, to maintain momentum on remaining aware of what’s going on, studying the issues and knowing your candidates, and actually helping to find candidates,” Butcher said.

Chaffee said since the movement has no dues, or steadfast rules about membership, all a person needs to do to join is to “claim it.”

The group holds its virtual meetings on the third Wednesday of every month. The next meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 18 and will feature the Bismarck Documenters presenting how everyday citizens can get involved in public meetings.

The priorities of the BadAss Grandmas for Democracy, which include citizen engagement, supporting democracy and working across the aisle, are more important than ever, according to Dockter-Pinnick.

“We are united around the fact that we must be able to work together,” she said. “We must be able to have civil conversations, not name calling and disparagement.”