By Amy Dalrymple | Editor
“If the powers that be think this needs to be in statute instead of in the constitution, then we will get it done that way. The fight continues.” - Rep. LaurieBeth Hager, D-Fargo, on her plan to bring a free school meals bill to the Legislature next year.
Students eat lunch at Roosevelt Elementary School in Bismarck on Nov. 2, 2026. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
By Jacob Orledge and Jack Dura
An attempt to guarantee free school meals to K-12 students narrowly failed at the ballot box Tuesday, but the issue isn’t going away in North Dakota.
An advocate for free school meals in the Legislature said she plans to introduce legislation in 2027 to accomplish what Measure 2 failed to do.
Rep. LaurieBeth Hager, D-Fargo, the sponsor of a free school meals bill that failed to advance in 2025, said she plans to introduce similar legislation again to require all K-12 schools to offer breakfast and lunch to students at no cost. Hager said she believes the fact that Measure 2 was a constitutional amendment likely scared off voters.
Gov. Kelly Armstrong said Wednesday he doesn’t anticipate a large push by Republican lawmakers to revisit a universal school meals program.
Jamie Macias votes during the national midterm election at the El Zagal Shrine Hall in Fargo, North Dakota, on Nov. 3, 2026. (Photo by Dan Koeck/For the North Dakota Monitor)
By Jack Dura
Voter turnout in North Dakota’s general election sagged to a low point of just under 40%, a dismal showing political observers connect to uninspiring races, voters’ busy lives and enough political fatigue for some to sit this one out.
About 39.8% of eligible voters cast ballots, the lowest general election turnout in the last 50 years, according to Secretary of State Michael Howe’s office.
The ballot had no real competitive elections or compelling candidates, said Mark Jendrysik, professor of political science and public administration at the University of North Dakota. Even the two ballot measures weren’t enough, he said.
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks to reporters following a visit to the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network on Oct. 27, 2026. (Photo by Katherine Dailey/Michigan Advance)
By Michael Achterling
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will visit North Dakota Thursday to participate in three roundtable discussions with state and tribal leaders.
The events in the Bismarck area will focus on regenerative agriculture, tribal health, the Rural Health Transformation Program and the regulatory burden on long-term care providers, according to U.S. Sens. Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven’s offices.
People participate in a protest against the CoreWeave AI data center outside the municipal building on October 21, 2026, in Kenilworth. New Jersey. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
By Kevin Hardy
In local elections across the country, Americans voted overwhelmingly to restrict the buildout of data centers in their communities.
Late Tuesday evening, 33 ballot measures to restrict data centers were passed by voters or were leading in ongoing vote counts, according to the tracking website Data Centers on the Ballot.
Only one measure to rein in data centers failed.
Residents of Harwood, North Dakota, where a data center is under construction, rejected a proposed change to the city home rule charter by 75% of the vote.
The change would have required a more stringent city review of large industrial developments that exceed certain thresholds of power use, power generation, water use and other triggers.
Election Day may be behind us, but our coverage is just beginning. North Dakota Monitor reporters spent the election season helping voters across the state make informed decisions.
Now, we’ll be following the results — and holding elected officials accountable for the decisions they make. Support our nonprofit newsroom with a gift today.
EARLIER ND MONITOR NEWS AND COMMENTARY
Voters defeat free school meal ballot measure in North Dakota | Jacob Orledge
North Dakota sends Fedorchak back to DC | Michael Achterling
Election error caused some Bismarck voters to receive wrong ballot | Jacob Orledge and Jack Dura
FROM STATES NEWSROOM
Supporters of Rep.-elect Zach Dembo, a Kentucky Democrat who flipped a Republican seat, cheer during Dembo’s victory speech in Lexington on Nov. 3, 2026. (Photo by Brian Simms for Kentucky Lantern)
By Ashley Murray and Shauneen Miranda
As the monumental midterm victories set in, Democrats began to talk strategy Wednesday on how to deliver what voters want: lower prices, attainable health care and an end to a stagnant and expensive conflict in the Middle East.
Starting in January, the party will control both chambers of Congress, giving them the upper hand over much of President Donald Trump’s agenda, including his judicial nominees, and the power to investigate the first two years of Trump’s second term, including his business ventures, war decisions and mass deportation campaign.
Democrats gain seats in South Dakota Legislature for the first time since 2008 | South Dakota Searchlight
Montanans overwhelmingly approve 3 ballot measures | Daily Montanan
Midterm winners include several who made history | Ariana Figueroa
FROM OTHER ND MEDIA OUTLETS
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