Why a majority isn’t enough to pass a school bond in North Dakota
A school bond can win support from a majority of voters in North Dakota and still fail. The Backstory looks at the state’s 60% approval requirement and what it means for school districts trying to pass bond measures.
North Dakota requires 60% voter approval for school bond measures. That threshold recently came into play in both Bismarck and Surrey, where bond proposals received more than 58% support but failed to reach the supermajority needed to pass. In Surrey, the measure fell short by just five votes.
In this episode of The Backstory, NDNC reporter Michael Standaert and host Sabrina Halvorson discuss why school bond measures can receive support from a majority of voters and still fail.
Listen here:
“In most voting, it would have passed, but with the 60% requirement, those still didn’t pass.” — Michael Standaert, North Dakota News Cooperative reporter
Standaert looked at school bond elections over the past decade and found 48 failed measures, including 13 that came within five percentage points of the 60% threshold. He also discusses what the requirement means for districts trying to address aging buildings, accessibility needs and other facility improvements, and how recent changes to when bond elections can be held affect districts that want to return to voters.
Read the full article here:
Michael Standaert
The Backstory is produced by the North Dakota News Cooperative, a nonprofit newsroom providing in-depth reporting to newspapers across the state. If you value this kind of journalism, consider making a donation to support our work.
