What Is Measure 1 in North Dakota? The 2026 Vote Explained

In November 2026, North Dakota voters will decide a question that has nothing to do with candidates and everything to do with how democracy itself works in the state.

The measure is called Measure 1. It looks simple — a single change to one rule in the North Dakota Constitution. But its effect would be far-reaching: it would make it significantly harder for North Dakotans to amend their own constitution in the future, shifting power from a voting majority to a blocking minority.

Here's everything North Dakota voters need to know before casting their ballot.

What Is Measure 1 in North Dakota?

North Dakota Measure 1 is a legislatively-referred constitutional amendment on the November 2026 General Election ballot. Politicians in the North Dakota General Assembly — the state legislature — voted to place it before voters. This pattern of legislative resistance to citizen-initiated measures isn't new in North Dakota. This is the second election in a row politicians in Bismarck have asked voters to make it more difficult to amend the state constitution. A similar measure was rejected in 2024 with 56% of the vote.

If Measure 1 passes, it would amend the North Dakota Constitution to change the rules for how future constitutional amendments can be adopted.

What Would Measure 1 Do?

Under current North Dakota law, constitutional amendments — whether placed on the ballot by citizens through the signature-collection process or by the legislature through a referral vote — require a simple majority to pass. That means more than 50% of those who vote on the question.

If Measure 1 passes, that standard would change. It would replace North Dakota’s longstanding system of simple majority rule with minority rule for constitutional amendments. Any future constitutional amendment, regardless of how it gets on the ballot, would need to clear 60% to be adopted, meaning just more than 40% of voters could block something the majority wants.

In plain terms, this is minority rule.

What Is the Difference Between Majority Rule and Minority Rule?

Understanding Measure 1 requires understanding what majority rule and minority rule actually mean.

Majority rule means the side with more than half the votes wins. It is the foundational standard for most elections and ballot measures in the United States, rooted in the country's founding documents — the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Federalist Papers. Most people, when they think of "democracy," have majority rule in mind: the side that gets more votes wins.

Minority rule is what happens when a smaller group can block or override the majority — typically through a supermajority requirement, which sets the winning threshold above 50%. At a 60% threshold, a minority of just over 40% of voters holds veto power over constitutional amendments that a majority supports. The people in favor can outnumber the people opposed — and still lose.

For a deeper look at how majority rule and minority rule work in the context of ballot measures nationwide, see our article on [majority rule vs. minority rule].

How Small Could the Blocking Minority Be?

The numbers are striking. Because constitutional amendments can appear on both the June Primary ballot and the November General Election ballot — and because turnout in June primaries is far lower than in November general elections — the practical size of the blocking minority can be very small in low-turnout elections.

Based on recent North Dakota primary elections, as few as 45,019 voters could constitute the 40%-plus-one blocking threshold. That represents roughly 7.6% of eligible North Dakota voters. Put another way, a voting block of 7.6% of eligible voters could block an amendment that more than 92.4% want. Put yet another way, fewer than 1 in 10 North Dakotans could veto a constitutional amendment that more than 9 in 10 North Dakotans wanted to pass.

Where Did Measure 1 Come From?

Measure 1 was placed on the ballot by politicians in the North Dakota General Assembly, not by citizen petition. That means the state legislature — not North Dakota voters — initiated this change to the rules.

There is a notable tension in that arrangement. The legislature is asking voters to approve a rule that would make it harder for North Dakotans — including through citizen initiative — to amend their own constitution going forward. The legislature itself would also be subject to the higher threshold for its own referred amendments, but the primary practical effect would fall on citizen-initiated amendments, which have historically been used when the legislature declines to act on popular policies.

For a full picture of how this fits into the national trend of attacks on citizens’ right to direct democracy, see our article on [what direct democracy is and why it matters].

When Will North Dakotans Vote on Measure 1?

Measure 1 will appear on the November 2026 General Election ballot, when North Dakotans will also vote for the state's at-large member of Congress, state house representatives, state senators, and other state and local officials.

What Does a "Yes" or "No" Vote on Measure 1 Mean?

• A "Yes" vote means you support changing the North Dakota Constitution to use a new system of minority rule in place of its longstanding system of simple majority rule.
• A "No" vote means you support keeping the current system of simple majority rule, which requires that amendments earn more than 50% of votes cast to win.