North Dakota Voters Face Universal Free School Meals Ballot Measure

North Dakota’s November ballot will include Measure 2, a constitutional amendment that would require every public school—plus public charter schools, with optional participation by private and tribal schools—to serve one breakfast and one lunch to all students each day. The state would fund any shortfall not covered by federal reimbursements, drawing money from the Legacy Fund, which is financed by oil and gas revenue. The program’s cost is projected at $124 million to $134 million every two years. Polls have shown favorability as high as 82%, and the measure follows two prior legislative attempts that passed the House 55-38 but were rejected by the Senate (24-22).

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North Dakota enacted an anti-“lunch shaming” law in 2023 that bars districts from denying meals over unpaid balances, yet families still face debt-collection actions. Proponents argue that universal meals would eliminate remaining gaps and free up district resources for teacher raises. Funding would come from the Legacy Fund unless lawmakers designate another source. Measure 1, also on the ballot, would raise the threshold for constitutional amendments from 50 % to 60 %, a change backed by the GOP-led legislature to make future initiatives like Measure 2 harder to pass.

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• Robin Nelson – Chair of Together for School Meals; former Republican campaign manager, Fargo school board member, and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club.

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• Pat Finken – Long-time Republican operative, op-ed author supporting the Legacy Fund’s use for student success.

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• Gov. Kelly Armstrong – Republican governor opposing constitutionally mandated spending.

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• Amy Jacobson – Executive director of Prairie Action ND, a progressive advocacy group supporting the grassroots effort.

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Nelson frames universal meals as a conservative “tax break” that helps working families amid rising costs. Finken emphasizes that the Legacy Fund was created to fund “big ideas” like student nutrition. Armstrong warns that mandatory spending could divert money from other budget priorities regardless of oil or soybean prices. Jacobson counters criticism that the initiative is driven by out-of-state interests, stressing its three-year, locally led campaign and reliance on progressive funding to gather the required signatures.

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• “The price of everything is going up. This is one way we could really help our working families.” — Robin Nelson, chair of Together for School Meals

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• “The Legacy Fund was created to provide a lasting harvest from our oil and natural gas bounty, and the earnings are to be used to fund big ideas,” — Pat Finken

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• “No matter what happens in the future of North Dakota’s budget, you could have $7 soybeans, you could have $12 oil, and this money comes off before anything else is spent,” — Republican Gov. Kelly Armstrong

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• “It is a completely grassroots-developed and -led effort,” — Amy Jacobson, executive director of Prairie Action ND

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