North Dakota voters turn down property tax elimination proposal

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota voters have rejected a ballot measure to outlaw most local property taxes.

Critics said the proposal on Tuesday’s ballot would have led to dramatic cuts in state services. The property tax measure would have required the state to fund replacement revenue for local governments, or more than $3 billion every two years.

Voters also rejected adding requirements for citizen-initiated constitutional measures. Critics had charged that the state constitution was too easy to amend.