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North Dakota voter guide

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Select a state from the menu below to learn more about its voting policies.

The policies governing voter participation are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which people cast their ballots in their respective states.

This article includes the following information about voting policies in North Dakota:

Click here for more information about election administration in the state, including voter list maintenance policies, provisional ballot rules, post-election auditing practices, and additional election policy context.

For information on elections happening this year, click here.

Do you have questions about your elections? Looking for information about your local election official? Click here to use U.S. Vote Foundation’s election official lookup tool.

Voter registration

North Dakota is the only state that does not require voters to register.

Eligibility and registration details

Check your voter information here.

North Dakota is the only state that does not require voter registration.[1][2]

“ Although North Dakota was one of the first states to adopt voter registration prior to the turn of the century, it abolished it in 1951. It is also worth noting that North Dakota law still provides cities with the ability to register voters for city elections.


North Dakota is a rural state and its communities maintain close ties and networks. North Dakota's system of voting, and lack of voter registration, is rooted in its rural character by providing small precincts. Establishing relatively small precincts is intended to ensure that election boards know the voters who come to the polls to vote on Election Day and can easily detect those who should not be voting in the precinct.[1][3]

”
—North Dakota Secretary of State


In-person voting

Poll times

See also: State poll opening and closing times

In North Dakota, voting hours at polling locations vary by county. According to statute, all polls must open between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. local time, and they must close between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. North Dakota is divided between the Central and Mountain time zones. Hours for specific polling places are available online through the state's Polling Place Search. A voter who is standing in line at the time the polls close will be allowed to vote.[4][5]

Voter identification

See also: Voter identification laws by state

North Dakota requires voters to present identification while voting. Identification must include the voter’s name, current North Dakota residential address, and date of birth.[6]

Acceptable forms of voter identification include:

  • Driver’s license
  • Nondriver’s identification card
  • Tribal government-issued identification (including those issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for a tribe located in North Dakota, any other tribal agency or entity, or any other document that sets forth the tribal member’s name, date of birth, and current North Dakota residential address)
  • Long-term care identification certificate (provided by North Dakota facility)

If a voter does not have a form of identification that includes his or her current North Dakota residential address or date of birth, the voter can present the following supplemental documents:

  • Current utility bill
  • Current bank statement
  • Check or a document issued by a federal, state, local, or tribal government (including those issued by BIA for a tribe located in North Dakota, any other tribal agency or entity, or any other document that sets forth the tribal member’s name, date of birth, and current North Dakota residential address)
  • Paycheck
  • Student photo ID card from a North Dakota institution containing the student's photograph and legal name. A printed document on school letterhead containing the student’s name, address, and date of birth must also be presented.
  • North Dakota residents living outside of the United States can submit a U.S. Passport or Military ID if they do not have another valid form of identification.

According to the secretary of state's office, "An applicant without an acceptable form of identification may use an attester. The attester must provide his or her name, North Dakota driver’s license, nondriver’s, or tribal identification number, and sign the absentee/mail ballot application form to attest to the applicant’s North Dakota residency and voting eligibility."[6]

Voters who cast absentee/mail-in ballot must include a valid form of identification with their ballot. A voter who has a disability that prevents them from leaving his or her home and is unable to obtain a valid form of identification "must provide his or her name, North Dakota driver’s license, nondriver’s, or tribal identification number, and sign the absentee/mail ballot application form to attest to the applicant’s North Dakota residency and voting eligibility."[6]

Early voting

See also: Early voting

North Dakota law permits counties to establish early voting.[7] As of October 2024, seven of North Dakota's 53 counties offered early voting. Together, these counties contained 76 of the state's 175 Election Day polling places.[8] Learn more by visiting this website.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.


Absentee/mail-in voting

See also: Absentee/mail-in voting

All voters are eligible to vote absentee in North Dakota. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.[9][10]

There is no specific deadline for applying for an absentee ballot. The completed ballot must be received by the appropriate election official by the close of polls on Election Day.[10][11]


Local election officials

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Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool.

Voting rules for people convicted of a felony

See also: Voting rights for people convicted of a felony

In North Dakota, individuals serving time in prison because of a felony conviction do not have a right to vote. Voting rights are automatically regained upon release from prison. Click here for more information regarding an incarcerated individual's rights in North Dakota.

Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[12]


Election administration agencies

Election agencies

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See also: State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in North Dakota can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.

North Dakota County Election Officials

Click here for a list

North Dakota Secretary of State, Elections Division

600 E. Boulevard Ave., 1st Floor, Dept. 108
Bismarck, North Dakota 58505-0500
Phone: 701-328-2900
Toll free: 800-352-0867
Fax: 701-328-2992
Email: soselect@nd.gov
Website: https://www.sos.nd.gov

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 301-563-3919
Toll free: 1-866-747-1471
Email: clearinghouse@eac.gov
Website: https://www.eac.gov


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See also

Elections in North Dakota


External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 North Dakota Secretary of State, “North Dakota….The Only State Without Voter Registration,” accessed April 24, 2023
  2. ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, “Voter Registration in North Dakota,” accessed August 12, 2024
  3. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  4. ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "Q: What are voting hours in North Dakota?" accessed August 12, 2024
  5. ↑ Justia, "2023 North Dakota Century Code, 16.1-01-03. Opening and closing of the polls," accessed August 14, 2024
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 North Dakota Secretary of State, "ID Requirements for Voting," accessed August 12, 2024
  7. ↑ North Dakota Century Code, "CHAPTER 16.1-07 ABSENT VOTERS' BALLOTS AND ABSENTEE VOTING," accessed June 24, 2024
  8. ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "Early Voting Available Counties," accessed October 28, 2024
  9. ↑ Justia, "2023 North Dakota Century Code, CHAPTER 16.1-07ABSENT VOTERS' BALLOTS AND ABSENTEE VOTING," accessed August 12, 2024
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 North Dakota Secretary of State, "North Dakota Residents Choosing to Vote Absentee or by Mail," accessed August 12, 2024
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named hb1165
  12. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," April 6, 2023
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