North Dakota Century Code Chapter 16.1 contains most of the laws that apply to elections.
The County Auditor is the Chief Election Official for the County.
The Secretary of State is the Chief Election Official for the State. The Secretary maintains an excellent election resource at vote.nd.gov. Election Results are easily searchable in a variety of ways including statewide, county, school, city, election type, and year.
Since 1994 elections in cities with a council form of government have been held under agreement with the county. School Districts have the option to hold elections under agreement with the county in even numbered years.
Primary Elections are held on the second Tuesday in June of every even numbered year.
For City, including Park Board and School Board positions, the candidate with the highest number of votes in each position on the ballot in the June election is certified the winner.
For County and State offices which are without a party designation the candidates in first and second place for each position in the June election are nominated and advance to the General Election.
For State offices with a party designation, the candidate in first place in each party for each position in the June Election is nominated and advances to the General Election.
A person who decides to run for an elected position after the filing deadline may run as a write-in candidate. Contact the County Auditor’s Office for special rules which apply to write-in candidates for state, congressional or legislative offices.
General Elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of every even numbered year.
The candidate with the highest number of votes for each position becomes the elected official.
Voter Registration - North Dakota is the only state that does not require that a voter make a formal registration prior to Election Day. Any legal resident of North Dakota who is at least 18 years old and has lived in a precinct for the 30 days preceding the election may go to that precinct’s designated polling place on Election day and vote. There are ID requirements to vote. Special rules apply for military and citizens living overseas.
Absentee voting laws allow qualified electors to obtain a ballot and vote before the election. Ballots are obtained upon application to the County Auditor/Treasurer’s Office and must be returned to that office no later than 5 PM the day before the election if delivered in person, or must be postmarked the day before the election if mailed. A voter who casts an absentee ballot may not vote again at the polls on Election Day. Below are links to the fillable forms on the Secretary of State's web page. Most voters will be able to use the AVB application. If a voter wants to authorize another person to pick up a ballot, that voter should use the AVB/Agent form. In addition, an attachment below answers other concerns about absentee voting.