The Constitution of North Dakota is the most basic legal document in the U.S. state of

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...

. It consists of a preamble and fourteen articles. Amendments to the North Dakota Constitution have always required the approval of a majority of voters. Between 1889 and 1914, the power to propose amendments to the Constitution rested with the

North Dakota Legislative Assembly The North Dakota Legislative Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Dakota. The Legislative Assembly consists of two chambers, the lower North Dakota House of Representatives, with 94 representatives, and the upper North ...

. In 1914, the voter constitutional

initiative In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a ...

was introduced, and between 1914 and 2012, 74 initiated amendments were considered by North Dakota voters. In recent years, North Dakota's constitution has been amended several times. Among these amendments was a 2012 revision to legally mandate the administration of oaths to state officers. In 2016, North Dakota voters guaranteed certain rights to crime victims. In 2018, the voters added a new article creating an ethics commission responsible for adopting rules relating to transparency, corruption, elections, and lobbying, and for investigating alleged violations of those rules. In 2022, voters in the state approved an amendment that limits the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, state representatives, and senators in the Legislative Assembly to two four-year terms. The amendment only applies to individuals elected after January 1, 2023. Since it was adopted on October 1, 1889, the Constitution of North Dakota has been amended 164 times.

External links

North Dakota Constitution

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

North Dakota law {{NorthDakota-stub