North Dakota 2024 ballot measures
In 2024, six statewide ballot measures were on the ballot in North Dakota.
- On November 5, voters decided on five ballot measures.
- On June 11, voters approved one ballot initiative.
On the ballot
June 11:
| Type | Title | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initiated Measure 1 | Set an age limit for election or appointment to the U.S. Congress |
|
68,468 (61%) |
44,076 (39%) |
November 5:
| Type | Title | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constitutional Measure 1 | Update language used in the state constitution to describe certain state institutions such as changing "insane" to "individuals with mental illness", "feebleminded" to "individuals with developmental disabilities", and "deaf and dumb" to "deaf and hard of hearing" |
|
301,156 (84%) |
55,353 (16%) |
|
| Constitutional Measure 2 | Establish a single-subject rule for initiatives; increase the signature requirement for constitutional initiatives; and require constitutional initiatives to be approved at two elections |
|
149,944 (44%) |
194,152 (56%) |
|
| Constitutional Measure 3 | Change requirements for transfers from the state legacy fund, a fund that receives 30% of tax revenue from oil and gas production |
|
174,524 (52%) |
161,153 (48%) |
|
| Initiated Measure 4 | Prohibit the state and local governments from levying taxes on the assessed value of any real or personal property except for those designed to pay for bonded indebtedness |
|
129,727 (37%) |
225,350 (63%) |
|
| Initiated Measure 5 | Legalize the recreational or personal use of marijuana |
|
171,708 (47%) |
190,107 (53%) |
Not on the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LRCA | Sports Betting Legalization Amendment | Gambling | Allow the North Dakota State Legislature to legalize sports betting on professional sports | 
|
| LRCA | Repeal Property Tax Providing Funding for the University of North Dakota State Medical Center Amendment | Taxes and Education | Repeals Section 10 of Article X in the North Dakota Constitution, eliminating the one-mill property tax levy funding the University of North Dakota state medical center |
|
| LRCA | Legislative Sessions Amendment | State legislatures measures | Increases legislative sessions from 80 days to 100 days in a two-year period, allows the legislature to extend the session by 20 days with a two-thirds vote, and allows the legislature to reconvene to override vetos |
|
| LRCA | Term Limits for Legislators and State Executive Officials Amendment | Term limits and State executive officials measures | Creates term limits for state legislators and state executive officials of twelve consecutive years with the ability to serve another twelve consecutive years after a four-year break |
|
| CICA | Elections, Voting, and Initiative Process Amendment | Elections and campaigns and Direct democracy measures | Prohibit early voting, voting by mail, ranked-choice voting; require initiative signature gatherers to be residents of North Dakota; increase referendum signature gathering time period from 90 days to 180 days; require a two-thirds supermajority vote for the state legislature to refer constitutional amendments; reduce petition signature requirements to recall elected officials |
|
Getting measures on the ballot
North Dakota allows citizen-initiated measures in the form of initiated state statutes, initiated constitutional amendments, and veto referendums. The completed petition must be submitted at least 120 days prior to the election. Each initiative has its own unique deadline of one year after it was approved to circulate.
Since North Dakota does not have a voter registration system, the number of signatures required is tied to the population reported by the last decennial census. For statutes and veto referendums, the number of signatures required is 2% of the population. For constitutional amendments, it is 4% of the population. The requirement for 2024 was 15,582 signatures for initiated state statutes and veto referendums and 31,164 signatures for initiated constitutional amendments. Each initiative petition may circulate for one year after it is approved for circulation. All signatures needed to be submitted by July 8, 2024.
The North Dakota Legislature has the power to place constitutional amendments on the ballot when a majority of members in each house of the legislature approve the amendment. Once on the ballot, the amendment must be approved by a simple majority of the electors. The legislature only convenes legislative sessions during odd-numbered years.
Ballot initiative certification rates
The following table shows the rate of certification for ballot initiatives in North Dakota between 2010 and 2020:
| North Dakota statewide ballot initiatives filed and certified, 2010-2020 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Ballot initiatives filed | Certified | |
| # | % | ||
| Averages | |||
State profile
| Demographic data for North Dakota | ||
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 756,835 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 69,001 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 88.7% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 1.6% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.2% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 5.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 2.9% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 91.7% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 27.7% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $57,181 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 12.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in North Dakota. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
North Dakota voted Republican in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, four are located in North Dakota, accounting for 1.94 percent of the total pivot counties.[1]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. North Dakota had three Retained Pivot Counties, 1.66 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More North Dakota coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in North Dakota
- United States congressional delegations from North Dakota
- Public policy in North Dakota
- Endorsers in North Dakota
- North Dakota fact checks
- More...
See also
- 2024 ballot measures
- List of North Dakota ballot measures
- Laws governing the initiative process in North Dakota
- North Dakota Legislature
Footnotes
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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