ND Constitutional measure

[NDSportsman]

Am I missing something? The text from the first link says that the measure to be voted on would restrict initiated measures to 1 single topic per measure..... Isn't that a good thing? Do we not all bitch about the us congress spending bills and their "gotta pass it to see whats in it" mentality?

Personally I would think this would be a good measure to pass just to keep confusion to a minimum for voters....

I haven't read the full text of the measure yet, so I'm sure there is something sneaky in there.... Seems to me there was something like this on the docket for the last go around but the measure itself was addressing multiple different topics in a single vote.... seemed a bit hypocritical if I remember right. Im gonna take the time to read the full text of the measure sometime soon.
I can agree that Constitutional measures should absolutely be put to a vote during the general election...

Yep like I said not enough people bother to educate themselves about these measures.

 

[guywhofishes]

Constitutional Measure No. 1 (from Senate Concurrent Resolution 4007) is a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on the North Dakota June 9, 2026 primary election ballot. It requires a simple majority (50% + 1) to pass and would change the state constitution if approved.30


What It Does


It amends Article III, Section 9 (initiative petitions) and Article IV, Section 16 (legislative proposals) of the North Dakota Constitution to require that every constitutional amendment — whether citizen-initiated or referred by the Legislature — must address only a single subject.45

• For citizen initiatives: The Secretary of State reviews petitions and can reject them for circulation if they cover more than one subject (with potential input from the Attorney General).
• For legislative referrals: The Legislature must limit its proposed amendments to one subject.
• Goal (per supporters): Prevent “logrolling” (bundling unrelated issues), reduce voter confusion, and avoid “bait-and-switch” tactics where popular provisions hide controversial ones.20
• Fiscal impact: None.45

How it appears on the ballot (official summary): “This constitutional measure would amend and reenact section 9 of article III and section 16 of article IV of the Constitution of North Dakota, relating to requiring each resolution adopted by the legislative assembly proposing a constitutional amendment and each initiative petition and measure proposing a constitutional amendment be comprised of a single subject. … constitutional amendments would be limited to one subject. The Secretary of State shall not approve an initiative petition for circulation if the Secretary determines that the proposed amendment comprises more than one subject. Additionally, the legislative assembly is required to limit proposed amendments to the constitution to one subject.”48


YES = Approve the single-subject requirement (changes the Constitution).
NO = Reject it (no change; multi-subject amendments remain possible).


This is narrower than the broader 2024 Measure 2 (which included signature increases and double-approval requirements and failed).46


Pros (Arguments in Favor)

• Clarity for voters: Makes measures easier to understand and vote on without unrelated provisions complicating things.20
• Prevents deception: Stops “bait-and-switch” tactics (e.g., popular ideas like helping veterans paired with unrelated policy changes).46
• Common practice: Many states with initiative processes already use single-subject rules successfully; North Dakota’s Legislature already follows a similar rule for bills.20
• Focus and accountability: Forces sponsors to keep amendments targeted and transparent.46

Cons (Arguments Against)

• Potential barrier to initiatives: Could be used to block or complicate legitimate citizen-driven changes; enforcement by the Secretary of State/AG raises concerns about bias or overreach.20
• Unclear criteria: What counts as “one subject” may be subjective, adding bureaucratic hurdles and possible legal challenges.20
• Limits voter power: Critics (e.g., League of Women Voters, some Democrats) worry it could “handcuff” grassroots efforts, especially complex reforms like ethics commissions.46
• Timing concerns: Placed on the lower-turnout primary ballot rather than the general election.20

Note: This measure only affects constitutional amendments (not statutory initiated measures). A separate measure on the November 2026 ballot would change legislative term limits.5


For the full official guide, check the ND Secretary of State’s site or vote.nd.gov. Local discussions or forums in Fargo may provide more ND-specific perspectives as the election nears.

 

[guywhofishes]

Constitutional Measure No. 1 (SCR 4007) originated in the North Dakota Legislature during the 2025 session as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment. It was not a citizen-initiated petition.0


Primary Sponsor and Key Backers in the Legislature

• Senate Majority Leader David Hogue (R-Minot) was the main sponsor. He introduced it to prevent “bait-and-switch” tactics in constitutional amendments and make them easier for voters to understand.0
• Co-sponsors included Senators Dick Dever (R) and Jerry Klein (R), plus Representatives Lawrence Klemin (R), Mike Lefor (R), and Robin Weisz (R).35

It passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support (only one “no” vote) and the House 57-36 (more divided, with most Democrats and some Republicans opposing).0


Political Backing and Opposition


Support (primarily from Republican legislative leadership):

• Aimed at promoting clarity, transparency, and preventing logrolling in both citizen initiatives and legislative referrals.
• No major external PACs or big-money groups are heavily involved yet (campaign finance reports show minimal to zero spending so far for this low-profile measure).5
• Aligns with broader Republican-led efforts in the 2025 session to reform the ballot initiative process (e.g., alongside the 60% threshold measure).

Opposition (focused on risks to citizen initiatives):

• League of Women Voters of North Dakota — Strongly against it. They testified in opposition, arguing the vague language could be weaponized against grassroots efforts and add bureaucratic hurdles enforced by the Secretary of State/Attorney General.42
• Democratic lawmakers, such as House Minority Leader Zac Ista (D-Grand Forks), who called it a potential “handcuff” on voter initiatives.20
• Groups like the North Dakota Watchdog Network (Dustin Gawrylow) have criticized it as poorly defined and part of a pattern of legislative restrictions on direct democracy (they also opposed the failed 2024 multi-part measure).65
• Broader concerns from initiative supporters who see it as limiting complex but legitimate reforms (e.g., ethics or multi-faceted policy changes).

This is a lower-turnout primary election measure, which some critics argue favors the status quo/legislative side. No major out-of-state or big-money involvement stands out—it’s largely an inside-the-Capitol fight. For the latest, check the ND Secretary of State’s voter guide or Ballotpedia.

 

[Wallyworld]

Vote NO.......F-CK NO on this bill to take away the citizens voice. The sleezy legislature is suing the State, trying to overturn the Term Limits the people voted on and passed in 2022.

The 2022 initiative, which passed with 63% voter support, implemented 8-year term limits for both the North Dakota House and Senate. That initiated measure included a specific clause explicitly stating that the Legislature does not have the authority to alter or repeal the term limits.

North Dakota Monitor +4

• The Conflict: The 2026 measure (SCR 4008) is a resolution introduced by the legislature to loosen these rules and allow up to 16 years of service.
• The Challenge: Petitioners argue that by putting this on the ballot, the legislature is doing exactly what the 2022 amendment forbids them from doing.
  
  
  KFYR-TV +2

2. Failure to Meet Constitutional Vote Threshold
Lawyers for the petitioners argue that under the North Dakota Constitution, any attempt by the legislature to change an initiated measure within seven years of its passage requires a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers.

North Dakota Monitor

• The Challenge: SCR 4008 did not meet this threshold, passing the Senate 24-23 and the House 53-39.
  
  
  North Dakota Monitor

3. Separation of Powers
Supporters of the 2022 initiative feel that the legislature is bypassing the "people’s power to govern themselves".

North Dakota Monitor

• The Concern: The 2022 initiative was a citizen-initiated measure, not a legislative referral. The lawsuit argues that the legislature is attempting to undo a law passed directly by the people, which they feel is an act of "legislative meddling".
  
  
  North Dakota Monitor +2

4. "Single Subject" or "Unconstitutional" Contentions
The 2026 measure proposes to both change the term lengths and allow partial terms not to count toward the limit. The lawsuit argues that this legislative referral is generally unconstitutional due to the 2022 prohibition on changes, but also that it violates the spirit of a single subject by attempting to overhaul the existing structure of the voter-passed law, rather than creating a new initiative.

North Dakota Monitor +4

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Status: The case is currently before the North Dakota Supreme Court, with hearings having occurred in April 2026. The high court is reviewing whether to remove the measure from the November 2026 ballot, with a ruling expected by June.

North Dakota Monitor +1
The Legislative Position: Lawyers representing the Legislature argue that the legislature has the constitutional authority to propose amendments to the constitution, and that a clause in the 2022 initiative cannot bind future legislatures, stating that the new resolution also includes a provision to repeal that restrictive 2022 clause.

North Dakota Monitor

 

[Duckslayer100]

Whether you want it or not, free school meals are overwhelmingly supported by North Dakotans -- it's not even close.

Everything in school is covered -- transportation, learning materials, salaries, etc. -- because, by law, you need to educate the kids. Yet meals aren't. I dunno. You can feed a guy on death row for decades and it's like, meh, whaddaya do. But meals for kids spirals into some sort of socialist/communist squabble every time it's brought up.

We're spending billions of dollars to bomb other countries. A few mill for student meals is peanuts.

 

[Colt45]

If free lunch programs are limited to low income families, including the fraudsters, it avoids unnecessarily subsidizing kids whose parents/families can afford to pay for their for their own breakfast and lunch. Its just that simple.
If this passes I hope there is media coverage of the massive food waste that will occur, along with the quality of the "free" food, its a scam that will just be another taxpayer rip off. We need LESS government, not more. NOTHING IS FREE!
Stop the insanity!

 

[guywhofishes]

You can feed a guy on death row for decades and it's like, meh, whaddaya do. But meals for kids spirals into some sort of socialist/communist squabble every time it's brought up.

slayer - the kids are being fed currently. That's irrefutable. Why are you insisting on guilting those who oppose making more laws to solve a problem that's not an actual problem in ND?

I'm genuinely perplexed.

 

[wslayer]

^^^^^this^^^^^ its not like the kids are starving for gods sakes.

 

[Davy Crockett]

If it's not broken, don't fix it. I'm guessing EVERY parent who needs it already has access. By nature, the majority of those who don't need it but have kids in school will be voting yes. Unless AI can bail us out , we are one generation away from poverty and it appears that's what the gov wants.

 

[johnr]

A fella on death row likely doesn't have parents that are on the hook for feeding them, they don't get to go home and play in the backyard, they have zero options but to sit and rot, not really the same thing as a child that has parents, and likely grandparents, food stamps, food shelters, little free pantries, churches, and free or reduced lunches at school already.

I have a huge problem feeding other peoples kids, as we all already do this to the tune of billions of dollars a year with these existing programs.

I somehow with my limited skill set, basic education, and terrible personality have always somehow figured out how to feed my 4 kids without needing my neighbor to step in. I knew off the bat, having a kid meant I needed to feed, clothe, and care for them.

I along with my wife periodically run to the market, purchase a few bags of easy to make grocery items and load up a few of the little free pantries around town, so I do have a heart, but this bill is not that, it is a scam.

 

[Duckslayer100]

slayer - the kids are being fed currently. That's irrefutable. Why are you insisting on guilting those who oppose making more laws to solve a problem that's not an actual problem in ND?

I'm genuinely perplexed.

No guilt. I just think it's common sense. But we can agree to disagree. I'd think of all the topics that would get NDA in an uproar, feeding kids would be way down on the ladder as far as importance. My bad.

Really, my comment was about the OP's original measure. Legislature is doing this because they're miffed that we have more power than they do. We should all be pissed about that. We elect them to serve us. They best remember that.

 

[Duckslayer100]

If free lunch programs are limited to low income families, including the fraudsters, it avoids unnecessarily subsidizing kids whose parents/families can afford to pay for their for their own breakfast and lunch. Its just that simple.
If this passes I hope there is media coverage of the massive food waste that will occur, along with the quality of the "free" food, its a scam that will just be another taxpayer rip off. We need LESS government, not more. NOTHING IS FREE!
Stop the insanity!

LOL food waste AFTER? Christ man. Look now. All the fresh fruits and veggies go immediately in the trash. If it's frosted or fried, it's consumed. You want to revise the menus of public education, you first need to stop creating so damn picky eaters

 

[Colt45]

LOL food waste AFTER? Christ man. Look now. All the fresh fruits and veggies go immediately in the trash. If it's frosted or fried, it's consumed. You want to revise the menus of public education, you first need to stop creating so damn picky eaters

Well I cant argue with this, I do believe there is already plenty of waste in the current school breakfast and lunch, no need to make it any worse and expand the fraud and waste.

 

[Traxion]

The one subject rule can go both ways. If someone comes in with a messy, complex amendment, it won’t stand. But if you have a well thought out proposal and don’t want the govt to screw it up, you have to limit it to one subject. SD has this same rule. Take legalizing cannabis. That subject has lots of depth. You need to safely sell it and tax it, among other things. With single subject, it’s either legal or not. The government then has to define all the rules and laws. Is that good or bad? Depends. In SD our legislators were not willing to put in the work to figure out those big questions after the vote. Unfortunately too much outside interest pushed some messy amendments in and caused the mess for us.

As for feeding kids, I saw the impact when teaching during COVID. Meals were free through that. Breakfast was the marked change I saw. Kids who came in dragging were there early to eat. They were sharper to start the day. It made an impact. Some of those kids came from rough places. Others came from parents who were too crappy or lazy to fill out the paperwork for free meals. Education is the biggest factor in breaking out of generational poverty. Cut the welfare in a lot of places but let’s keep them fed at school without any restraints. It isn’t the kids fault that mom and dad didn’t think about the cost of raising a kid. Or are too lazy to fill out paperwork. It’s a simple bridge to get kids into the world better prepared. And not on welfare in the future. It takes one hungry ahole to completely derail an elementary classroom. It has an impact on every kid in the class. Small price, big impact.

 

[Colt45]

Estimated cost is $140 million for the next biennium, that is not a small price. And it will probably be low.

 

[Browneye]

North Dakota is a strange place. We have have majority GOP in the house and senate for years and still they spend like drunken sailors. They keep coming up with new things to spend tax payer money on and the first time we have a downturn in the oil marker again and revenues drop instead of cutting spending they will say we need to raise taxes.