North Dakota Voters Reject Supermajority Threshold for Amendments

North Dakota voters rejected Constitutional Measure 1 on Tuesday, defeating a proposal that would have raised the approval threshold for state constitutional amendments from a simple majority to a 60% supermajority. Unofficial results from the North Dakota Secretary of State Office indicate the measure failed with approximately 56.5% of voters opposing it.

Governor Kelly Armstrong and Catholic Church leaders supported the measure, arguing that a higher threshold would protect the state constitution from outside interests and preserve pro-life laws. The StrongND Fund spent nearly $1 million advocating for the change.

Opponents, including labor unions and the advocacy group Prairie Action North Dakota, argued that the requirement would allow a minority to overrule the will of the majority. The opposition group Protect the North Dakota Constitution, largely funded by the Washington, D.C.-based Fairness Project, raised over $1.75 million to defeat the proposal. The rejection ensures that the current simple-majority standard remains in place for constitutional changes.