Millions of dollars from national and in-state groups have gone into campaigns supporting or opposing two statewide ballot measures in North Dakota. Campaign finance reports recently filed with the secretary of state provided details on who is spending money to support or defeat the general election’s two constitutional amendment measures.
Measure 1 would require at least 60% of voter support to amend the state constitution. Measure 2 would provide free school meals to K-12 students. Together for School Meals, the group behind Measure 2, reported nearly $1.1 million in monetary contributions this year. There does not appear to be organized financial opposition to Measure 2.
Protect the North Dakota Constitution, which opposes Measure 1, has reported more than $1.2 million of donations. StrongND Fund, a group aligned with Gov. Kelly Armstrong, has spent $978,000 in support of Measure 1. National groups such as the Fairness Project and the National Education Association have given to both groups. The Fairness Project has spent more than $1.12 million against Measure 1 and $600,000 to support Measure 2. The National Education Association gave $50,000 to Protect the North Dakota Constitution and $250,000 to Together for School Meals.
Supporters of Measure 1 say the state constitution needs a higher threshold than a simple majority to change it. Opponents say the measure takes power away from voters to enact changes they want. Measure 2 backers say free school meals would ease costs for parents and keep kids fed and focused during the school day. Opponents say the mandated spending should not go into the state constitution.
Both measures are part of national movements, but in the context of other states, $1 million is paltry, said Mark Jendrysik, a professor of political science and public administration at the University of North Dakota. “A million dollars in North Dakota goes a fair way,” he said. It’s not a huge amount of money, but “it’s enough to get certain things done,” such as mail and television ads, he said.
The Fairness Project “fights for policies voters want when politicians fail them,” and provides funding and expertise to help measure campaigns, Executive Director Hannah Ledford said in emailed comments. The D.C.-based organization lists measures in Michigan, Missouri, Montana and Virginia on its website among campaigns it supports, in addition to North Dakota’s Measure 2. Some of those other measures deal with protecting reproductive rights in Virginia, cementing Montana judicial races as nonpartisan and redrawing Missouri congressional districts.
The Fairness Project supports Measure 2 because “politicians in Bismarck failed three times” to enact free school meals, leading supporters to drive the ballot initiative, a power the organization doesn’t want Measure 1 to weaken, Ledford said. “Our work brings us together with local organizations and advocates who want to improve their communities through ballot measures. Together for School Meals and Protect the North Dakota Constitution reflect both parts of that mission: helping voters deliver policies their families need and defending their right to do so,” Ledford said.
Free school meal ballot measure debated at North Dakota policy summit Together for School Meals is spending money on in-person events and digital and mail ads, Measure 2
