The Ballot Brief
North Dakota ballot measures · 2026

Initiated Constitutional Measure No. 2 State-Funded Free School Breakfast and Lunch

Ballot measures › North Dakota 2026 › Initiated Constitutional Measure No. 2

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Initiated constitutional amendmentOn the November 3, 2026 ballot

Did it pass? The official answer comes November 20.

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North Dakota makes it official
The State canvassing board certifies the result. The result appears on this page that day.

What local news is reporting

Not official yetUpdated November 4, 2026

This report is cited to the outlet that published it. We do not call results. Official running count: North Dakota official results.

Initiated Constitutional Measure No. 2: State-Funded Free School Breakfast and Lunch
Failed with 49.4% yes, InForum reported.InForum, “North Dakotans narrowly reject free school meals measure”, November 4, 2026. Unofficial until certified.

Reports are checked daily until North Dakota certifies on November 20; the official result is the state's certified count.

North Dakota Initiated Constitutional Measure No. 2 (State-Funded Free School Breakfast and Lunch) is on the November 3, 2026 ballot. Official ballot language: "This initiated measure amendment would amend and add a new section to article VIII of the North Dakota Constitution. It would mandate all public school districts, public schools, and public charter schools to provide one breakfast and one lunch each school day to enrolled students at no cost to the student, parent, or guardians. It would allow nonpublic schools, Bureau of Indian Education schools, and other tribal schools the option to provide the same. It would require the State of North Dakota to reimburse school districts and schools at one hundred percent of the current rates used by the state for free meals, and the rate shall be adjusted annually for inflation. It would require the legislative assembly to identify a source of funds for reimbursement and if a source of funds is unable to be identified, reimbursement funds would be appropriated from the legacy earnings fund. This amendment would supersede any other part of the constitution that conflicts with it." Estimated fiscal impact: a $124.3 million to $134.3 million increase in ongoing biennial expenditures for the 2027-2029 biennium, adjusted for inflation after that.

As of November 4, 2026, InForum reported that North Dakota Initiated Constitutional Measure No. 2 failed with 49.39% yes; the result is unofficial until North Dakota certifies it on November 20.

What a yes or no vote means

A YES vote YES: requires public schools, public charter schools and public school districts to provide one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day, with the state reimbursing schools at 100 percent of its current free-meal rates (adjusted for inflation); private and tribal schools may opt in.
A NO vote NO: no state-funded breakfast and lunch for all students beyond the current free and reduced-price meal program.
Read the certified ballot question

Official ballot language: "This initiated measure amendment would amend and add a new section to article VIII of the North Dakota Constitution. It would mandate all public school districts, public schools, and public charter schools to provide one breakfast and one lunch each school day to enrolled students at no cost to the student, parent, or guardians. It would allow nonpublic schools, Bureau of Indian Education schools, and other tribal schools the option to provide the same. It would require the State of North Dakota to reimburse school districts and schools at one hundred percent of the current rates used by the state for free meals, and the rate shall be adjusted annually for inflation. It would require the legislative assembly to identify a source of funds for reimbursement and if a source of funds is unable to be identified, reimbursement funds would be appropriated from the legacy earnings fund. This amendment would supersede any other part of the constitution that conflicts with it." Estimated fiscal impact: a $124.3 million to $134.3 million increase in ongoing biennial expenditures for the 2027-2029 biennium, adjusted for inflation after that.

Verify with the state: official full text and details →.

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About this measure

How it reached the ballot

Initiated Constitutional Measure No. 2 reached the North Dakota ballot as a initiated constitutional amendment.

About this page

Wording above follows the certified ballot language; The Ballot Brief does not take positions on measures.

Other North Dakota statewide measures in 2026

Constitutional Measure No. 1: Raise the Vote Needed to Amend the Constitution to 60 Percent (HCR 3003)

All North Dakota 2026 ballot measures · North Dakota candidates