North Dakota

The deadline to correct (cure) your absentee/mail ballot is November 18, 2024, before your County Canvassing Board meets that day. Election officials will notify you of a mismatched or missing signature and provide instructions on how to cure your ballot. Track your absentee/mail ballot using your state’s online tool. 

If you voted a set-aside/provisional ballot at your polling site, you must submit a valid ID to your county auditor by the same deadline as above for your vote to be counted. You can submit your valid ID to the county auditor in person or electronically. 

To find out more about federal campaign contributions, please visit Open Secrets.

To find out more about state campaign contributions, please visit your state's resource.

Information on local, state and federal candidates and ballot measures may be available here.

Drop boxes are available in some counties across the state. Check with your county auditor to see if there is one available in your county. You can find your county auditor’s office here.  

Early voting depends on the county.

Early voting is available and no excuse is required. Please check with local county election officials for specific dates and times.

The next election date can be found here https://www.vote411.org/north-dakota.

Contact your local Board of Elections for more information.

To be eligible to vote in North Dakota, you must be:

• A US citizen
• At least 18 years old on Election Day
• A legal North Dakota resident
• A resident in the precinct for 30 days preceding the election

Note: North Dakota does not require voter registration, but you need a valid form of identification that can be used for voting. Make sure you have proper identification with you before you go to the polls to vote. 

Incarcerated Voters & Returning Citizens: 

In North Dakota, you only lose your right to vote if you are currently incarcerated for a felony conviction. If you lost your voting rights because of a conviction, your voting rights are immediately restored upon release. Pretrial detention, misdemeanors, probation, or parole do not restrict your voting rights. 

No registration is necessary, but you must have a valid form of identification to vote absentee or in person.

North Dakota is the only state in the United States that does not require voter registration. In the primary election, voters will see all candidates listed by political party in separate columns. They may only vote in one party's primary so they must remain within that party's column on the ballot.

All federal races and most state-wide races are designated by party and the top vote-getters in the primary move on to the general election in November to represent their party.

County-wide races are nonpartisan and voters are able to choose one candidate per open seat in the primary election. The top two vote-getters per open seat in the primary move on to the November general election.

For city-wide candidates, the primary election is the last stop. Whichever candidate wins in the primary will take their place in that elected office. City-wide races include races such as city commission or council, mayor, park board, school board, and municipal judge.

North Dakota does not require voter registration, but you must present a valid ID to vote. Acceptable IDs must include your name, current North Dakota residential address, and date of birth. Acceptable forms of ID are:

• ND driver's license
• ND non-driver's ID card
• Tribal government-issued ID card
• Long-term care ID certificate

To vote absentee, acceptable forms of ID are:

• Any form of ID listed above
• Passport or Military ID - Only for ND residents living outside the US who do not possess one of the other forms of ID
• Attester—An applicant without an acceptable form of ID may use an attester. The attester must provide his or her name, ND driver's license, non-driver's ID card, or tribal ID number and sign the absentee/mail ballot application form to attest to the applicant's ND residency and voting eligibility.

HOW DO I UPDATE MY ID?

If you have moved or changed your name since your ID was issued, you may need to update it before Election Day. The North Dakota Department of Transportation lets you update your address and schedule appointments online to obtain new IDs.

CAN I USE MY STUDENT ID TO VOTE? 

No, a student ID is not a form of valid voter ID. 

WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A PHOTO ID? 

If you don't have an acceptable form of ID, find out how to get a North Dakota ID card from your local driver’s license office.

Learn more about North Dakota’s voter ID requirements. 

Voters can call or text 844-338-8743 at any time to reach VoteRiders Voter ID Helpline

Official results are never available on Election Day. Election officials are working around the clock to count an unprecedented number of ballots, and it’s essential that they take the time to make sure every vote is counted.

Absentee ballots begin being counted on Election Day.

The timing of unofficial results will depend on how many postmarked ballots arrive after Election Day. Official election results will be uploaded on North Dakota’s Secretary of State website as they become available. 

You are a Military or Overseas voter if you are in uniformed services, living overseas OR a spouse or dependent of a uniformed services voter. To get registered and vote, you can utilize Overseas Vote Foundation.

If you have additional questions about elections and voting overseas you can use our state specific elections official directory or contact the Overseas Vote Foundation.

You can make sure we have safe, fair, and efficient elections for all. Become a poll worker today!

In order to be a poll worker in North Dakota, you must:

• Be eligible to vote
• Be at least 18 years of age
• Be entitled to compensation
• Be a resident of the precinct for the 30 days prior to the election
• Complete required training
• Students 16 or 17 years old who meet all other voter requirements may be appointed if they are students in good standing at a North Dakota high school
• Have basic computer skills, and be able to proofread materials, printed or on a screen, for accuracy
• Be able to work the entire day

To sign up, contact your local board of elections.

Most polls are open 7am- 7pm. Some polls may open earlier or close later. It is best to check with your local county election officials before Election Day.

You can find your polling place by utilizing your state resource.

If you have further questions on your polling place location, please contact your county clerk.

North Dakota is the only state in the United States that does not require voter registration. In the primary election, voters will see all candidates listed by political party in separate columns. They may only vote in one party's primary so they must remain within that party's column on the ballot.

All federal races and most state-wide races are designated by party and the top vote-getters in the primary move on to the general election in November to represent their party.

County-wide races are nonpartisan and voters are able to choose one candidate per open seat in the primary election. The top two vote-getters per open seat in the primary move on to the November general election.

For city-wide candidates, the primary election is the last stop. Whichever candidate wins in the primary will take their place in that elected office. City-wide races include races such as city commission or council, mayor, park board, school board, and municipal judge.

If you have any questions about your state’s primary election, please contact your local election officials.

There is no need for provisional voting, since there is no voter registration process.

If you are a voter with disabilities, you may be accompanied by and receive assistance from another person of your choice in the voting booth unless the person is an employer, officer, or agent of your union, a candidate running in that election, or a relative of a candidate. Any voter may ask for assistance from both judges at a polling location or opt to use the ExpressVote.

The polling place building should have several routes through it, and sufficient signs should be in place to direct you to the most accessible route to the polling location.

For more information you can utilize the American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD) resource.

North Dakota is the only state in the United States that does not require voter registration, but you must have a valid form of identification to vote absentee or in person.

In the primary election, voters will see all candidates listed by political party in separate columns. They may only vote in one party's primary so they must remain within that party's column on the ballot.

All federal races and most state-wide races are designated by party and the top vote-getters in the primary move on to the general election in November to represent their party.

County-wide races are nonpartisan and voters are able to choose one candidate per open seat in the primary election. The top two vote-getters per open seat in the primary move on to the November general election.

For city-wide candidates, the primary election is the last stop. Whichever candidate wins in the primary will take their place in that elected office. City-wide races include races such as city commission or council, mayor, park board, and municipal judge.

The law encourages employers to provide time off to vote when an employee's regular work schedule conflicts with the times polls are open. This policy however is voluntary.

North Dakota is the only state in the United States that does not require voter registration, but you must have a valid form of identification to vote absentee or in person. 

In the primary election, voters will see all candidates listed by political party in separate columns. They may only vote in one party's primary so they must remain within that party's column on the ballot.

All federal races and most state-wide races are designated by party and the top vote-getters in the primary move on to the general election in November to represent their party.

County-wide races are nonpartisan and voters are able to choose one candidate per open seat in the primary election. The top two vote-getters per open seat in the primary move on to the November general election.

For city-wide candidates, the primary election is the last stop. Whichever candidate wins in the primary will take their place in that elected office. City-wide races include races such as city commission or council, mayor, park board, and municipal judge.

The voting systems used in North Dakota are optical scan and DRE.

Optical Scan: With this system, you will receive a card or sheet of paper, which you take over to a private table or booth. The card has the names of the various candidates and ballot measures printed on it. With a pen or pencil you fill in a little box or circle or the space between two arrows. When you are finished filling out all the cards, you may bring the cards over to a ballot box, where poll workers will show you how to put the cards in the box. Or in some places, you may feed the completed cards or papers into a computer device that checks your card or paper right there at the polling place to make sure you have voted the way you want to and counts the votes.

Direct Recording Electronic (DRE): This is the newest kind of system in use in the U.S. All the information about who and what you are voting for is on an electronic screen like a TV or computer screen.

There are many variations of DREs because lots of companies are inventing new ones, and many cities, counties and states are trying them out. Usually, after you have signed in, the poll workers will give you a card that you slide into a device to start your voting session.

Some of these devices will show all of the candidates and ballot choices on one big screen. Often, with these big screen devices you push a button next to the name of the candidate you want to vote for (or yes or no on a ballot measure). On other DREs, the screen is set up to show pages. On each screen or page, there will probably be one thing to vote on. For example, on one screen or page, you might vote for president. Then you might move to the next page to vote for senator. Often these small-screen devices have a touch screen, where you touch the screen next to the name of the person you want to vote for. Other devices have a key pad. And some have a keyboard, so you can write in the name of someone you want to vote for.

You let the system know you are finished voting by pushing a button, touching the screen or entering something on a keypad.

You can learn more about voting systems by checking out the Elections Assistance Commission's (EAC) resource.