North Dakota’s Ballot Initiative Process is Under Attack… Again.
House Concurrent Resolution 3003, proposed by the ND Legislature, would require all future constitutional amendments to pass by 60%.
About HCR 3003
The North Dakota Legislature introduced House Concurrent Resolution 3003 during the 2025 legislative session. It passed the House 65-28 on January 29, 2025, and passed the Senate 33-13 on April 9, 2025.
HCR 3003 places a question on the November 2026 ballot asking voters to increase the threshold for passing future constitutional amendments, whether proposed by the legislature or citizen-initiated, from 50% to 60%.
About Measure 2
Measure 2 was a three-pronged attack on our state’s ballot initiative process that would have made it far more difficult for North Dakotans to write, qualify, and pass constitutional amendments in the future.
The ballot initiative process is an important check on the power of politicians in our state – we should preserve it.
What would Measure 2 have done?
Constitutional Measure 2 would have required initiated measures to pass a primary and general election before adoption, raise the signature requirements for initiatives to qualify for the ballot, and institute a “single-subject” rule for initiatives.
Where did Measure 2 come from?
The North Dakota Legislative Assembly placed Measure 2 on the ballot this year after passing SCR 4013, the culmination of three years of debate following the failure of a similar proposal in 2020. That measure – also, by coincidence, named Measure 2 – was another legislatively-referred ballot question that would have significantly changed the process for passing constitutional ballot initiatives. Making North Dakotans vote again on a proposal that restricts the people’s voice is an overreach by the legislature.
What was the result of Measure 2?
Measure 2 was defeated in the November 2024 General Election! 56% of voters voted to keep power in the hands of the people and successfully defended North Dakota’s ballot initiative process.