North Dakota held an election for secretary of state on November 8, 2022. The primary was scheduled for June 14, 2022. The filing deadline was April 11, 2022. This was one of 27 elections for secretary of state taking place in 2022. Click here for an overview of these races. All but three states have a secretary of state. Although the specific duties and powers of the office vary from state to state, secretaries of state are often responsible for the maintenance of voter rolls and for administering elections. Other common responsibilities include registering businesses, maintaining state records, and certifying official documents. At the time of the 2022 elections, there were 27 Republican secretaries of state and 20 Democratic secretaries of state.

A state government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party. Heading into the 2022 elections, there were 23 Republican triplexes, 18 Democratic triplexes, and nine divided governments where neither party held triplex control.

Michael Howe won election in the general election for North Dakota Secretary of State.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for North Dakota Secretary of State

Michael Howe defeated Jeffrey Powell and Charles Tuttle in the general election for North Dakota Secretary of State on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Michael Howe (R)	63.2	147,816
	Jeffrey Powell (D)	27.5	64,254
	Charles Tuttle (Independent)	9.2	21,517
	Other/Write-in votes	0.1	241

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 233,828
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Dakota Secretary of State

Jeffrey Powell advanced from the Democratic primary for North Dakota Secretary of State on June 14, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jeffrey Powell	99.7	21,897
	Other/Write-in votes	0.3	57

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 21,954
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Dakota Secretary of State

Michael Howe defeated Marvin Lepp in the Republican primary for North Dakota Secretary of State on June 14, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Michael Howe	67.6	44,790
	Marvin Lepp	32.1	21,280
	Other/Write-in votes	0.2	163

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 66,233
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Voting information

See also: Voting in North Dakota

Election information in North Dakota: Nov. 8, 2022, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

In-person: N/A
By mail: N/A by N/A
Online: N/A

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: Nov. 7, 2022
By mail: Received by Nov. 7, 2022
Online: Nov. 7, 2022

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: Nov. 7, 2022
By mail: Postmarked by Nov. 7, 2022

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Sep. 29, 2022 to Nov. 7, 2022

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

N/A

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/JeffreyPowell.jpg

Jeffrey Powell (D)

Powell plans to promote prosperity by advocating for moderate laws and improved access through the FirstStop portal to encourage small business formation and success.

Powell plans to ensure secure elections that encourage North Dakotans to vote and to address the damage to voter confidence exacted by “the big lie” and its proponents.

Powell plans to advocate for tabulation methods other than first-past-the-pole in races where those make sense. Approval voting is doing what it promises to do in Fargo races, Ranked Choice can change the dynamics of State House races, and changing our Electoral College vote distribution could put us on national strategy maps.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Jeffrey Powell (D)

I believe in the Constitution and I believe in civil rights. I believe government officials should work to be transparent and I believe they must make it clear they care about their constituents more than they care about currying favor with their political party compatriots.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Jeffrey Powell (D)

The first historical event in my memory is two uncles going to Vietnam. I was scared for them and happy ... relieved when they returned home after their tours.

In the same timeframe, something light and funny. There is a private but open-to-the-public museum and wildlife preserve about 25 minutes outside of my hometown. There are buffalo on the preserve, and to keep these buffalo from walking onto the parking lot there is a cattle guard, the pipes in the ground that keep hoofed animals from crossing over. It is next to a small creek.

The sign at this crossing identifies it as the "Buffalo Watergate." Imagine being a six-year old when the news of Nixon's illegal conspiracy becomes known. What does the President's behavior have to do with this odd cattle guard at this museum outside of Tulsa? I was confused for quite some time.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Jeffrey Powell (D)

I started working at a Pizza Hut at the age of 15, and have worked since then. I'm currently in my 30th year of work in college administration - kind of a teacher and kind of an administrator. I work with college students who may have broken a rule and assign sanctions to help them learn to do better. I work with students who have some special challenges to their success. I work with our best student leaders to help them influence our protocols. I provide regular, unsexy services in a consistent manner, daily, which is precisely what the Secretary of State does. I'm ready for this job.

Past elections

2018

See also: North Dakota Secretary of State election, 2018

General election

General election for North Dakota Secretary of State

Incumbent Al Jaeger defeated Joshua A. Boschee and Michael Coachman in the general election for North Dakota Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Al Jaeger (Independent)	47.3	145,275
	Joshua A. Boschee (D)	39.2	120,475
	Michael Coachman (Independent)	13.2	40,590
	Other/Write-in votes	0.3	937

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 307,277 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Roland Riemers (L)
Will Gardner (R)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Dakota Secretary of State

Joshua A. Boschee advanced from the Democratic primary for North Dakota Secretary of State on June 12, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joshua A. Boschee	100.0	33,039

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 33,039
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Dakota Secretary of State

Will Gardner advanced from the Republican primary for North Dakota Secretary of State on June 12, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Will Gardner	100.0	54,563

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 54,563
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for North Dakota Secretary of State

Roland Riemers advanced from the Libertarian primary for North Dakota Secretary of State on June 12, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Roland Riemers	100.0	247

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 247
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2014

See also: North Dakota secretary of state election, 2014

Republican incumbent Al Jaeger won re-election on November 4, 2014.

Secretary of State of North Dakota, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Al Jaeger Incumbent	62.4%	152,085
	Democratic	April Fairfield	32.2%	78,474
	Libertarian	Roland Riemers	5.3%	12,920
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.1%	278
Total Votes				243,757
Election results via North Dakota Secretary of State

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

Presidential elections

	2026 → ← 2018
North Dakota Secretary of State
	Democratic primary; Republican primary; General election;
Election details
	Filing deadline: April 11, 2022
	Primary: June 14, 2022; General: November 8, 2022; Pre-election incumbent(s):; Al Jaeger (Independent)
How to vote
	Poll times: Open between 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.; close between 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Voting in North Dakota
Ballotpedia analysis
	Federal and state primary competitiveness; State executive elections in 2022; Impact of term limits in 2022; State government trifectas; State government triplexes; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
North Dakota; executive elections
	Attorney General; Secretary of State; Agriculture Commissioner; Public Service Commission (2 seats); Tax Commissioner

See also: Presidential voting trends in North Dakota and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for North Dakota, 2022
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
North Dakota's At-Large	Kelly Armstrong	Republican	R+20

2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, North Dakota^[1]
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
North Dakota's At-Large	31.9%	65.5%

2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

Following the 2020 presidential election, 95.7% of North Dakotans lived in one of the state's 47 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 2.2% lived in one of four Trending Republican counties. Overall, North Dakota was Solid Republican, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in North Dakota following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

North Dakota county-level statistics, 2020
Solid Republican	47	95.7%
Trending Republican	4	2.2%
Solid Democratic	2	2.1%
Total voted Democratic	2	2.1%
Total voted Republican	51	97.9%

Historical voting trends

North Dakota presidential election results (1900-2020)

5 Democratic wins
26 Republican wins

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Statewide elections

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from North Dakota

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in North Dakota.

U.S. Senate election results in North Dakota
Race	Winner	Runner up
2018	55.5%	44.5%
2016	78.4%	17.0%
2012	50.2%	49.3%
2010	76.2%	22.2%
2006	66.8%	29.5%
Average	65.4	32.5

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of North Dakota

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in North Dakota.

Gubernatorial election results in North Dakota
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	65.8%	25.4%
2016	76.5%	19.4%
2012	63.1%	34.3%
2008	74.4%	23.5%
2004	71.3%	27.4%
Average	70.2	26.0

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of North Dakota's congressional delegation as of November 2022.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from North Dakota, November 2022
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	0	0	0
Republican	2	1	3
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	1	3

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in North Dakota's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in North Dakota, November 2022
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Doug Burgum
Lieutenant Governor	Brent Sanford
Secretary of State	Al Jaeger
Attorney General	Drew Wrigley

State legislature

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly as of November 2022.

North Dakota State Senate

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	7
	Republican Party	40
	Vacancies	0
Total		47

North Dakota House of Representatives

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	14
	Republican Party	80
	Vacancies	0
Total		94

Trifecta control

As of November 2022, North Dakota was a Republican trifecta, with majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control of the governorship. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

North Dakota Party Control: 1992-2022
No Democratic trifectas • Twenty-eight years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22
Governor	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
Senate	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Demographics

The table below details demographic data in North Dakota and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

Demographic Data for North Dakota
	North Dakota	United States
Population	779,094	331,449,281
Land area (sq mi)	68,993	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	85.7%	70.4%
Black/African American	3.2%	12.6%
Asian	1.6%	5.6%
Native American	5.2%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0.1%	0.2%
Other (single race)	1.2%	5.1%
Multiple	3.1%	5.2%
Hispanic/Latino	4%	18.2%
Education
High school graduation rate	93.1%	88.5%
College graduation rate	30.7%	32.9%
Income
Median household income	$65,315	$64,994
Persons below poverty level	10.5%	12.8%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

External links

Footnotes

↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed September 9, 2022

[1] Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed September 9, 2022

[1]

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North Dakota Secretary of State election, 2022

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for North Dakota Secretary of State

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Dakota Secretary of State

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Dakota Secretary of State

Voting information

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Past elections

2018

General election

General election for North Dakota Secretary of State

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Dakota Secretary of State

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Dakota Secretary of State

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for North Dakota Secretary of State

2014

Election analysis

Presidential elections

Cook PVI by congressional district

2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2012-2020

Historical voting trends

Statewide elections

U.S. Senate elections

Gubernatorial elections

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

State executive

State legislature

North Dakota State Senate

North Dakota House of Representatives

Trifecta control

Demographics

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

Services

Additional analysis

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