← Election Series · Down-ballot coverage · North Dakota
Our call — vote NO
The measure
Constitutional Measure 2 is a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment on North Dakota's November 3, 2026 ballot, titled Healthy School Meals for All. Every public school district, school, and charter school would have to provide each student one free breakfast and one free lunch every school day; nonpublic, Bureau of Indian Education, and tribal schools could opt in. The state would reimburse 100% of the cost at 2025-26 free-meal rates, adjusted for inflation, after maximizing federal reimbursement. If the legislature cannot identify a funding source, the money is appropriated from the Legacy Earnings Fund.
What YES does
A yes vote writes a universal free-meals entitlement into the state constitution, with full state reimbursement and the Legacy Fund as the default payer.
What NO does
A no vote leaves school meals to existing federal and state programs, which already fund free and reduced-price meals based on family income, subject to ordinary legislation.
The math
The official fiscal impact, as published: an increase in ongoing biennial expenditures of $124.3 million to $134.3 million for the 2027-2029 biennium, inflation-adjusted thereafter.
OUR CALL
Our call: NO.
Feeding a hungry child at school is a legitimate goal — and it is already the policy of federal and state programs targeted at families that need help. This measure goes far past that: free meals for every student regardless of income, at a published cost of roughly $124-134 million per biennium forever, entrenched in the constitution so no future legislature can adjust it, with the state's savings fund as the backstop. A new, universal, permanent spending mandate belongs in a statute debated each session, not carved into the constitution. Vote no.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website.
Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Sources
- Ballotpedia — North Dakota Constitutional Measure 2 measure page (accessed October 25, 2026)
- Ballotpedia — 2026 ballot measures — https://ballotpedia.org/2026_ballot_measures
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.