On this day, June 29, 1948, North Dakota voters approved a ballot measure to ban parking meters on all public streets.
The measure, which appeared on the ballot as Initiative 2, prohibited the use of parking meters, or any devices "requiring the deposit therein of coins or tokens for the privilege of parking cars or vehicles", in all political subdivisions across the state. Voters approved Initiative 2 by a margin of 1.32 points, with 96,192 (50.66%) in favor of the ban and 93,670 (49.34%) against it.
Support for Initiative 2 was led by Howard Henry — a farmer and the Democratic Party's nominee in the gubernatorial election that year — after he received parking tickets on his regular business commute to Minot.
