Campaign finance requirements in North Dakota

Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates and campaigns may receive from individuals and organizations, how they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political parties may contribute to campaigns. In addition to direct campaign contributions, campaign finance laws also apply to third-party organizations and nonprofit organizations that seek to influence elections through independent expenditures or issue advocacy.

This page provides background on campaign finance regulation, lists contribution limits to state candidates and ballot measures in North Dakota, compares contribution limits to gubernatorial and state legislative candidates in North Dakota with those from other states, and details the candidate reporting requirements in North Dakota.

The information on this page pertains to candidates for state office and state ballot measures. Candidates for federal office are subject to federal campaign finance law. Candidates for local office are subject to all applicable state laws as well as any separate local campaign finance regulations.

As of August 2025:

Individuals could contribute unlimitedly to candidates for state office in North Dakota.

State parties could contribute unlimitedly to candidates for state office in North Dakota.

Political committees could contribute unlimitedly to candidates for state office in North Dakota.

Corporations and unions could not contribute directly to candidates for office or party committees.

Background

Seal of the United States Federal Election Commission

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is the independent regulatory agency that administers and enforces federal campaign election laws. The FEC is responsible for disclosing campaign finance information, enforcing limits and prohibitions on contributions and overseeing public funding of presidential elections. According to the FEC, an individual becomes a federal candidate and must begin reporting campaign finances once he or she has either raised or spent $5,000 in his or her campaign. Within fifteen days of this benchmark, the candidate must register with the FEC and designate an official campaign committee, which is responsible for the funds and expenditures of the campaign. This committee must have an official treasurer and cannot support any candidate but the one who registered it. Detailed financial reports are then made to the FEC every financial quarter after the individual is registered. Reports are also made before primaries and before the general election.

The Supreme Court of the United States has issued a number of rulings pertaining to federal election campaign finance regulations. In the 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision, the court held that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited. The court's decision also overturned the ban on for-profit and not-for-profit corporations and unions broadcasting electioneering communications in the 30 days before a presidential primary and in the 60 days before a general election. In the SpeechNOW.org v. Federal Election Commission decision, the first application of the Citizens United decision, the court held that contribution limits on what individuals could give to independent expenditure-only groups, and the amount these organizations could receive, were unconstitutional. Contribution limits on donations directly to candidates, however, remained unchanged. In 2014's McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission decision, the court overturned biennial aggregate campaign contribution limits, and held that individuals may contribute to as many federal candidates as they want, but may only contribute up to the federal limit in each case.

While the FEC governs federal election campaigns and contribution limits, individual states enforce their own regulation and reporting requirements. Regulations vary by state, as do limits on campaign contributions and third-party activities to influence elections. Candidates for local office must follow any applicable state and local campaign finance regulations.

Contribution limits

The table below details contribution limits as they applied to various types of individuals and groups in North Dakota as of August 2025. The uppermost row of the table indicates the contributor, while the leftmost column indicates the recipient.

North Dakota contribution limits as of August 2025

	Individuals	Single candidates committees	PACs	Political party	Super PACs	Corporations	Unions
Statewide candidate (e.g., governor)	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited	$0	$0	$0
Senate candidate	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited	$0	$0	$0
House candidate	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited	$0	$0	$0
PAC	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited	$0	$0	$0
Party committees	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited	$0	$0	$0
Ballot measures	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited	$0	$0	$0
Sources: Secretary of State North Dakota, "North Dakota Election Laws," accessed August, 28, 2025

State comparisons in the 2024 elections

See also: State-by-state comparison of campaign finance requirements

Individual contribution limits

Party contribution limits

Political committee contribution limits

Corporation and union contribution limits

As of the 2024 elections, there were no individual contribution limits on contributions to gubernatorial or state legislative candidates in 12 states, including North Dakota. The remaining 38 states had varying limits.

North Dakota

Individual contribution limits in North Dakota:

• Governor: Unlimited
• State Senate: Unlimited
• State House: Unlimited

Comparison to other states

In the 38 states with individual contribution limits:

• Governor
  • Minimum: $625 per election (Colorado)
  • Maximum: $36,400 per election (California)
• State Senate
  • Minimum: $200 per election (Colorado)
  • Maximum: $15,499.69 per election (Ohio)
• State House
  • Minimum: $200 per election (Colorado)
  • Maximum: $15,499.69 per election (Ohio)

As of the 2024 elections, there were no state party contribution limits on contributions to gubernatorial or state legislative candidates in 21 states, including North Dakota. The remaining 29 states had varying limits.

North Dakota

State party contribution limits in North Dakota:

• Governor: Unlimited
• State Senate: Unlimited
• State House: Unlimited

Comparison to other states

In states with party contribution limits:

• Governor
  • Minimum: $1,950 per election (Maine)
  • Maximum: $874,182.62 per election (Ohio)
• State Senate
  • Minimum: $475 (Maine)
  • Maximum: $174,371.53 (Ohio)
• State House
  • Minimum: $475 (Maine)
  • Maximum: $174,371.53 (Ohio)

As of the 2024 elections, there were no political committee contribution limits on contributions to gubernatorial or state legislative candidates in 12 states, including North Dakota. The remaining 38 states had varying limits.

North Dakota

Political committee contribution limits in North Dakota:

• Governor: Unlimited
• State Senate: Unlimited
• State House: Unlimited

Comparison to other states

In other states with political committee contribution limits:

• Governor
  • Minimum: $625 per election (Colorado)
  • Maximum: $86,000 (Wisconsin)
• State Senate
  • Minimum: $200 per election (Colorado)
  • Maximum: $68,500 per election cycle (Illinois)
• State House
  • Minimum: $200 per election (Colorado)
  • Maximum: $68,500 per election cycle (Illinois)

As of the 2024 elections, there were no corporation or union contribution limits on contributions to gubernatorial or state legislative candidates in five states. They were prohibited in 20 states, including North Dakota. The remaining 25 states had varying limits.

North Dakota

Corporation/union contribution limits in North Dakota:

• Governor: Prohibited
• State Senate: Prohibited
• State House: Prohibited

Comparison to other states

In the 25 states with corporation/union contribution limits:

• Governor
  • Minimum: $1,200 per election cycle (Delaware)
  • Maximum: $36,400 (California)
• State Senate
  • Minimum: $600 per election (Delaware)
  • Maximum: $28,800 per election cycle (Tennessee)
• State House
  • Minimum: $500 per election (Kansas)
  • Maximum: $14,400 per election cycle (Tennessee)

Candidate reporting requirements

Seal of North Dakota

See statutes: Chapter 16.1-08.1 of the North Dakota Century Code

For campaign finance disclosure purposes, North Dakota considers a candidate and his or her candidate committee to be one and the same. All candidates and candidate committees for statewide executive or state legislative office must register with the North Dakota Secretary of State. A committee must file registrations within 15 days of first receiving a contribution or making an expenditure. The registration must include the following information:

• committee information, including committee name, acronym (if applicable), telephone number, and address
• candidate information, including the name of candidate, party affiliation, office being sought, and the type of office (e.g., statewide or legislative)
• additional information, including the full name of the committee's agent, agent's title, telephone number, and mailing address

Registrations must be signed by the candidate or an agent acting on behalf of the candidate or committee. Registrations must be renewed each year.

Candidates and their committees are required to submit regular disclosure reports that include the following information:

• Section A: candidate and committee information
  • the name of candidate or committee; office being sought; party affiliation; candidate or candidate committee address, and name and telephone number of person filing the statement
• Section B: Type of report being filed
  • pre-primary election, pre-general election, pre-special election, year-end, 48-hour; or amended
• Section C: Cash on hand and contributions
  • cash on hand at the beginning of the reporting period
  • cash on hand at the end of the reporting period
  • total of all contributions received in excess of $200
    • for contributions greater than $200 but less than $5,000, the contributor's name and address must be included, as well as the total amount of contributions made and the date of the most recent contribution
    • for contributions of $5,000 or more, the contributor's name, address, occupation and employer must be included, as well as the total amount of contributions and date of the most recent contribution
  • total of all contributions received of $200 or less
• Section D: Signature of the person completing the statement

A candidate or committee who receives contributions of greater than $500 in the aggregate from any individual in the 39-day period leading up to an election must file a supplemental statement noting the name and address of the contributor and the total amount of the contribution within 48 hours of receiving it.

Campaign finance legislation

The table below displays bills related to campaign finance introduced during or carried over to North Dakota's current legislative session.

Election and campaign ballot measures

See also: Elections and campaigns on the ballot and List of North Dakota ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked 36 statewide ballot measures relating to elections and campaigns.

1. North Dakota Partisan Elections Initiative (1921)
2. North Dakota Non-partisan Election Initiative (1921)
3. North Dakota Tax Commissioner Election Initiative (1938)
4. North Dakota Secret Primary Ballot, Initiative 3 (1962)
5. North Dakota Election of County Officers, Constitutional Measure 1 (2002)
6. North Dakota Election of County Officials, Measure 2 (1998)
7. North Dakota Legislative Assembly Vacancy Filling, Measure 4 (2000)
8. North Dakota Filling of Judicial Vacancies, Measure 1 (1998)
9. North Dakota Rules for Appointing Supreme Court Justices, Measure 2 (1990)
10. North Dakota Federal Funds for Political Purposes Initiative (1936)
11. North Dakota State and County Official Term Lengths, Initiative 5 (1964)
12. North Dakota Residence Requirements of Electors Referendum (1920)
13. North Dakota Electors Residence Requirements Referendum (1922)
14. North Dakota Nonpartisan Elections Referendum (1924)
15. North Dakota Date of Presidential Primary Election Referendum (1924)
16. North Dakota Party Central Committees Referendum (1924)
17. North Dakota County Officers to be Elected Referendum, Amendment 1 (1952)
18. North Dakota County Official Term Lengths, Initiative 2 (1962)
19. North Dakota Repeal Limits on Legislator Elections and Appointments, Referendum 3 (1962)
20. North Dakota Repeal Limits on Legislator Elections and Appointments, Referendum 2 (1964)
21. North Dakota Voter Pamphlet, Referendum 1 (1964)
22. North Dakota New Residents Presidential Voting Referendum, Number 2 (1966)
23. North Dakota Judicial Reform Referendum, Number 5 (1968)
24. North Dakota Joint Governor and Lieutenant Ballot Referendum, Amendment 1 (1974)
25. North Dakota Legislator Qualifications Referendum, Amendment 1 (1976)
26. North Dakota Elective Franchise Referendum, Amendment 2 (1978)
27. North Dakota Judicial Officers Referendum, Amendment 5 (1980)
28. North Dakota Presidential Preference and June Primary Referendum, Measure 7 (1980)
29. North Dakota Election Law Revision Referendum, Measure 8 (1980)
30. North Dakota Future Governor and Lieutenant Governor Elections Referendum, Measure 4 (1982)
31. North Dakota Tax Commissioner on Party Ballot Referendum, Measure 2 (1986)
32. North Dakota State Legislative Term Limits and Ballot Instruction Measure, Measure 5 (1996)
33. North Dakota Executive Branch Officer Election, Measure 2 (2000)
34. North Dakota State Treasurer Not Elected, Measure 3 (2000)
35. North Dakota Measure 1, Ethics Commission, Foreign Political Contribution Ban, and Conflicts of Interest Initiative (2018)
36. North Dakota Initiated Measure 1, Congressional Age Limits Initiative (June 2024)

Election administration agencies

Election agencies

Seal of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission

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

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

1050 First Street, NE

Washington, DC 20463

Telephone: (202)-694-1100

Toll-free: 1-800-424-9530

Email: info@fec.gov

Website: http://www.fec.gov/

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms North Dakota campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Campaign finance requirements in North Dakota - Google News

See also

• Campaign finance regulation
• Ballot access requirements for political candidates in North Dakota
• North Dakota

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