diff --git a/src/lib/svg_text_utils.js b/src/lib/svg_text_utils.js
index b82d9b93bec..add53dcd3ed 100644
--- a/src/lib/svg_text_utils.js
+++ b/src/lib/svg_text_utils.js
@@ -469,7 +469,10 @@ function buildSVGText(containerNode, str) {
                         var dummyAnchor = document.createElement('a');
                         dummyAnchor.href = href;
                         if(PROTOCOLS.indexOf(dummyAnchor.protocol) !== -1) {
-                            nodeSpec.href = encodeURI(href);
+                            // Decode href to allow both already encoded and not encoded
+                            // URIs. Without decoding prior encoding, an already encoded
+                            // URI would be encoded twice producing a semantically different URI.
+                            nodeSpec.href = encodeURI(decodeURI(href));
                             nodeSpec.target = getQuotedMatch(extra, TARGETMATCH) || '_blank';
                             nodeSpec.popup = getQuotedMatch(extra, POPUPMATCH);
                         }
diff --git a/test/jasmine/tests/svg_text_utils_test.js b/test/jasmine/tests/svg_text_utils_test.js
index d5552976d87..c950f728add 100644
--- a/test/jasmine/tests/svg_text_utils_test.js
+++ b/test/jasmine/tests/svg_text_utils_test.js
@@ -173,6 +173,16 @@ describe('svg+text utils', function() {
             });
         });
 
+        it('allows encoded URIs in href', function() {
+            var node = mockTextSVGElement(
+              '<a href="https://example.com/?q=date%20%3E=%202018-01-01">click</a>'
+            );
+
+            expect(node.text()).toEqual('click');
+            assertAnchorAttrs(node);
+            assertAnchorLink(node, 'https://example.com/?q=date%20%3E=%202018-01-01');
+        });
+
         it('accepts `target` with links and tries to translate it to `xlink:show`', function() {
             var specs = [
                 {target: '_blank', show: 'new'},