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North Dakota Secretary of State election, 2026
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← 2022
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| North Dakota Secretary of State |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: April 6, 2026 |
| Primary: June 9, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
Open between 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.; close between 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2026 Impact of term limits in 2026 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| North Dakota executive elections |
| Attorney General Secretary of State |
North Dakota is holding an election for secretary of state on November 3, 2026. The primary is June 9, 2026. The filing deadline is April 6, 2026.
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- North Dakota Secretary of State election, 2026 (June 9 Democratic primary)
- North Dakota Secretary of State election, 2026 (June 9 Republican primary)
Candidates and election results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
Candidate profiles
There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.
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. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in North Dakota
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Past elections
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2014.
2022
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 | ||
| Total votes: 233,828 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
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 | ||
| 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. | ||||
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
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 | ||
| 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
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 | ||
| 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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
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.
Cook PVI by congressional district
| District | Incumbent | PVI |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota's At-Large | Julie Fedorchak | R+18 |
2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines
| District | Kamala Harris  |
Donald Trump  |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota's At-Large | 31.0% | 68.0% |
| Source: The Downballot | ||
2016-2024
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 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2024 presidential election, 98% of North Dakotans lived in one of the state's 51 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2016 to 2024, and 2% lived in one of 2 Solid Democratic counties. Overall, North Dakota was Solid Republican, having voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016, Donald Trump (R) in 2020, and Donald Trump (R) in 2024. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in North Dakota following the 2024 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| North Dakota county-level statistics, 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Republican | 51 | 98.0% | |||||
| Solid Democratic | 2 | 2.0% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 2 | 2.0% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 51 | 98.0% | |||||
Historical voting trends
North Dakota presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 5 Democratic wins
- 27 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 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | R |
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in North Dakota.
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of North Dakota
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in North Dakota.
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of North Dakota's congressional delegation as of October 2025.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from North Dakota | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | Kelly Armstrong |
| Lieutenant Governor | Michelle Strinden |
| Secretary of State | Michael Howe |
| Attorney General | Drew Wrigley |
State legislature
North Dakota State Senate
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 5 | |
| Republican Party | 42 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 47 | |
North Dakota House of Representatives
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 11 | |
| Republican Party | 82 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 1 | |
| Total | 94 | |
Trifecta control
North Dakota Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas • Thirty-one 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 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 | 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 | R | R | R |
The table below details demographic data in North Dakota and compares it to the broader United States as of 2023.
| 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 | 83.9% | 63.4% |
| Black/African American | 3.2% | 12.4% |
| Asian | 1.6% | 5.8% |
| Native American | 4.5% | 0.9% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.2% | 0.4% |
| Other (single race) | 1.4% | 6.6% |
| Multiple | 5.3% | 10.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 4.5% | 19% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 93.8% | 89.4% |
| College graduation rate | 32.3% | 35% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $75,949 | $78,538 |
| Persons below poverty level | 10.6% | 12.4% |
| 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 2018-2023). | ||
| **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. | ||
Secretary of State elections in 2026
There are 26 secretary of state seats on the ballot in 2026.
See also
| North Dakota | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
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