BISMARCK, ND – North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe has reviewed petitions submitted to his office on June 28, 2024, by proponents to initiate a constitutional measure on the ballot related to prohibiting all political subdivisions from levying any tax on real or personal property except for bonded indebtedness until paid. A total of 35,720 signatures were accepted, 4,556 signatures over the required threshold of 31,164 signatures, which qualifies the initiated measure for inclusion on the November 5, 2024, General Election ballot.
Below is a breakdown of the signatures accepted and rejected (View Petition Review Summary):
- Required Signatures: 31,164 signatures (4% of state population in the last census for an initiated constitutional measure)
- Submitted Signatures: 41,433 signatures
- Rejected Signatures: 5,713 signatures (due to incorrect or insufficient information)
- Insufficient information breakout:
- 1,515 inadequate signature
- 48 out-of-state address
- 346 no date
- 263 notary error
- 593 circulator error
- 1,056 address omission
- 1,892 petition not circulated in its entirety
- 1,515 inadequate signature
- Insufficient information breakout:
The constitutional measure related to prohibiting all political subdivisions from levying any tax on real or personal property except for bonded indebtedness until paid will appear on the November 5, 2024, General Election ballot and be assigned as Measure 4 according to the provisions of N.D.C.C. § 16.1-06-09. The Office of the Secretary of State had 35 days to review petitions and determine the adequacy of signatures to place the measure on the ballot according to N.D.C.C. § 16.1-01-10.
The constitutional initiative title is as follows:
This initiated measure would amend sections 1, 14, 15, and 16 and repeal sections 4, 5, 7, 9 and 10 of Article X of the North Dakota Constitution. It would prohibit political subdivisions from levying any tax on real or personal property except for the payment of bonded indebtedness incurred before the end of the thirty-day period following the date this amendment was approved by the voters, until such debt is paid, and would require the state to provide replacement payments to political subdivisions of no less than the amount of tax levied on real property during the 2024 calendar year. It would limit the debt of a political subdivision to an amount not to exceed two and one-half percent of the full and true value of the real property in the political subdivision, except that an incorporated city, by a two-thirds vote, could increase the indebtedness of the city one and one-half percent beyond the two and one-half percent limit and a school district, by a majority vote, could increase the indebtedness of the school district two and one-half percent beyond the two and one-half percent limit. It would allow an incorporated city, without regard to the existing indebtedness of the city, to become indebted in an amount not exceeding two percent of its full and true value for water and sewer projects. It would require a political subdivision incurring indebtedness to provide for annual revenues to pay the debt payments when due and would prohibit a political subdivision from issuing general obligation bonds secured with tax levied on the assessed value of property on or after January 1, 2025.
News Release PDF - Constitutional Initiative Related to Property Tax Approved for November 5, 2024 Ballot