Poll: Most ND voters support Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage

Voters appear to support the 2015 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court – which guarantees same-sex couples the fundamental right to marry – and not the latest move among legislators to overturn the rule, according to insight from a new statewide poll.

North Dakota’s House of Representatives approved a resolution on Feb. 24 proclaiming that marriage should only be considered a union between one man and one woman and urging the Supreme Court to overturn the ruling. 

House Concurrent Resolution 3013 passed by a 52-40 vote and will be reviewed by the Senate in the coming weeks. 

A total of 56% of likely voters support the Supreme Court’s decision, while 36% favor efforts by the House to overturn the rule, according to the North Dakota Poll. 

Among those who favored the Supreme Court view, 89% of Democrats who participated in the poll supported were in support, while 57% of Independents and 43% of Republicans also supported.

The breakdown for those in favor of overturning of the ruling was 51% of Republicans who participated in the poll, 30% of Independents, and only 8% of Democrats. 

The poll, commissioned by the North Dakota News Cooperative, was conducted between Feb. 27 and Mar. 2 as 69th Legislative Assembly broke for its crossover recess. 

Voters don’t know the Governor’s property tax proposal 

Gov. Kelly Armstrong has a messaging challenge on his hands.  

Few North Dakotans have a solid understanding of the specifics of a key property tax relief proposal he introduced in his State of the State address in early January, detailed at an executive budget a week later, and that legislators have debated over the past several weeks. 

In the same NDNC poll of 500 likely voters, 63% of respondents know little to nothing about the proposals. Only 7% said they knew “a lot” about the plan. 

Yet, when provided key details of his plan, most likely voters overwhelmingly support his plan, with 64% supporting and 18% opposing. That includes a large segment of 40% strongly supporting the Governor’s plan, the poll found. 

Armstrong’s plan is currently circulating in the state legislative assembly as House Bill 1176. 

It proposes to expand the primary residence tax credit from $500 to $1,450 for homeowners as well as institute an annual cap on future increases in local property taxes at 3% a year and dip into Legacy Fund earnings to cover some costs of relief. 

Those with some or a lot of knowledge of the plan were led by self-identified Independent voters, at 41%. 

HB 1176 passed in the House with an 81-10 vote on Feb. 25 and will go before the Senate after the crossover recess. 

A separate property tax relief bill, House Bill 1575, also passed the house with an 85-5 vote, on Feb 25 and is seen as the main competition to the Governor’s proposal. 

HB 1575 would provide relief across various sectors of property including agricultural, commercial and primary residences, and not solely focus on homeowners. Relief would be determined on changes to taxable valuations with around a 30% reduction for homeowners and a 15% reduction for agricultural or commercial landowners. 

Voters favor a higher bar for constitutional measures

Proposed changes to the constitutional ballot measure process were also polled. The North Dakota Legislature is currently considering House Concurrent Resolution 3003, which proposes that 60% of voters would need to approve a measure rather than the current requirements of a simple majority. 

A total of 50% agreed that such a change would protect the state constitution from being amended too easily. Only 36% felt that such a change would make it too difficult. 

Supporters of HCR 3003 believe constitutional measures should have a higher bar, with those in opposition saying it is a higher roadblock for the democratic process and reduces the power of the people to alter the document. 

Of those participating in the latest North Dakota Poll, 48% self-identified as Republican, 20% as Democrat, and 30% as Independent. 

The North Dakota Poll, conducted by leading polling firm WPA Intelligence, surveyed 500 eligible and likely voters with a margin of error of +/- 4.4%. 

The poll surveyed roughly equal numbers of men and women, and equal numbers from the eastern and western halves of the state. 

The North Dakota News Cooperative is a nonprofit news organization providing reliable and independent reporting on issues and events that impact the lives of North Dakotans. The organization increases the public’s access to quality journalism and advances news literacy across the state. For more information about NDNC or to make a charitable contribution, please visit newscoopnd.org. Send comments, suggestions or tips to michael@newscoopnd.org. Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NDNewsCoop.