North Dakota:
North Dakotans unveil “People’s Agenda” to expose legislative disconnect and demand real solutions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 8, 2025
CONTACT
Noah Parrish, Communications Director
[email protected]
651.432.0171
Following the close of the 2025 legislative session, a coalition of advocacy organizations, including the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition and Gender Justice gathered outside the Capitol to unveil a bold new People’s Agenda rooted in the real priorities of North Dakotans.
The event drew a sharp contrast between the Legislature’s continued focus on divisive culture war distractions—trying to overturn marriage equality and ban trans children from school restrooms—and the policies North Dakotans overwhelmingly support, like affordable child care, paid family and medical leave, and increased funding for public education. The People’s Agenda is grounded in statewide polling and conversations with residents across the state.
“Instead of delivering for the people, lawmakers have spent their time ruthlessly targeting LGBTQ+ people, attempting to roll back marriage equality, and blocking popular policies, like free school lunches,” said Dalton Erickson, Executive Director at North Dakota Human Rights Coalition. “That’s not what North Dakotans want—and we have the data to prove it.”
The People’s Agenda includes priorities such as:
- Paid family, medical, and sick leave (supported by 76% of North Dakotans)
- Affordable child care (84%)
- Increased funding for public education (76%)
- Expanded access to affordable housing (80%)
“We commissioned this polling because we wanted to cut through the noise and hear directly from North Dakotans,” said Megan Peterson, Executive Director of Gender Justice. “What we found was clear: people across this state want practical, commonsense policies—and they want politicians to stay out of transgender people’s private lives. It’s time elected leaders embraced the values most North Dakotans already hold: freedom and respect.”
Speakers also previewed The People’s Session being held on May 16 in Bismarck. The event is a grassroots gathering where residents will come together to share stories, shape bold policy proposals, and organize toward a more inclusive and responsive state government.
“This is only the beginning,” added Erickson. “We’re not waiting around for politicians to catch up—we’re creating a vision for the future that actually serves the people of this state.”
Photos and video from the press conference will be available at this link by 3 p.m. CT. A one-pager summarizing the polling results can be found here.
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