North Dakota voters rejected Measure 3, which its proponents said was necessary in strengthening protections for those who choose to exercise their deeply-held religious beliefs.

With 70 percent of precincts reporting, voters said no to Measure 3 by a 64.5 percent to 35.4 percent margin. The Associated Press called the Measure 3 race at approximately 10:15 p.m.

The Rev. Tim Johnson of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Bismarck said he was pleased by the no vote.

“I was gratified by it, I have to admit,”Johnson said.

The language of Measure 3 stated that a person has the right to act or to refuse to act in a manner due to a deeply-held religious belief. It would then be up to the government to prove that it has a compelling government interest in infringing on one’s right to act or not act. The measure’s proponents said that it was needed in order to strengthen people’s religious liberty.