North Dakota Legislature Asks Court to Reject Lawsuit Over Term Limits Ballot Measure

(Photo by Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – The North Dakota Legislature has asked the North Dakota Supreme Court not to block its election ballot proposal to change voter-approved legislative term limits.

The Legislature in 2025 adopted Senate Resolution 4008 with the goal of giving lawmakers more freedom over how they spend their terms.

The resolution refers a constitutional amendment to North Dakota voters on the 2026 general election ballot. If approved, the amendment would in part tweak legislative term limits established through the passage of Article XV in 2022, which stipulates that state lawmakers can serve no more than eight years in the House and eight years in the Senate.

The proposed amendment would change this to allow lawmakers to serve up to 16 years in either chamber. It would also make it so partial terms don’t count against term limits.