BISMARCK - North Dakota residents will soon have a chance to sign onto a petition to repeal longstanding Sunday business restrictions.
Secretary of State Al Jaeger said Tuesday the measure's backers need about 13,500 qualified signatures to put it to a statewide vote next year.
The petition seeks to lift the state's so-called blue laws. North Dakota residents can order alcohol at a restaurant or bar late Sunday morning but must wait until afternoon to go shopping because of the ban that's rooted in religious tradition.
The National Conference of State Legislatures says about a dozen states have some form of Sunday sales laws, but only North Dakota prohibits shopping on Sunday morning.
The Legislature has defeated several measures over the years to end the Sunday morning shopping prohibition.
