"Most North Dakotans support using the state’s Legacy Fund to reduce property taxes even further and to pay for school lunches at public schools, but draw the line at using the sovereign wealth fund to cover private school vouchers, North Dakota Poll data shows. 

Of those three, state legislators have only tapped into the Legacy Fund for property tax reductions so far, a decision made during the past legislative session. According to the latest poll numbers, 69% of respondents support using the Legacy Fund for additional property tax relief, while 25% oppose that action. 

Respondents are also firmly behind the idea of local control of property tax rates. A total of 68% said those should remain with local political subdivisions, while 28% said those rates should be decided at the state level. 

Former governor Edward Schafer, who played a key role in the creation of the Legacy Fund, said the idea that people want more local control but also want state tax revenue from the Legacy Fund to pay for property tax relief, doesn’t quite match up. 

[...] The value of the Legacy Fund currently stands at $12.5 billion. A portion of the earnings has gone into the general fund during each biennium since 2019. Around $686 million was transferred from The Legacy Fund to the general fund for the 2023-2025 period, up from $486 million in the previous biennium, but down from the $871 million distributed during the period before. 

[...] Asked if they would like to see the Legacy Fund tapped for universal school meals, 70% supported that proposal and 26% opposed, according to the poll. During the past session, House Bill 1553 proposed using around $140 million from the Legacy Fund to cover meals for all K-12 students in the state, but was defeated in the House by a 74-14 vote against the bill. 

[...] Respondents went the opposite direction on using the Legacy Fund for paying for school choice initiatives like private school vouchers: 58% opposed while 35% were in favor. 

[...] The North Dakota Poll, initiated by the North Dakota News Cooperative, was conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, Inc. of Jacksonville, Florida. From August 4 through August 6, 2025, a total of 625 adult regular voters were interviewed statewide by phone. The margin of error is no more than + or – 4%, according to the polling firm. 

[...] Of the 625 respondents, 135 identified as Democrat (22%), 271 as Republican (43%) and 219 as independent (35%)." (LLG)