How voting works in North Dakota
Registration, ID, early and mail voting, drop boxes and how many people voted each way in 2024, from official sources.
In North Dakota, ID is required to vote in person; registration must be completed before voting (no same-day registration); early in-person voting begins 15 days before Election Day; any voter may ask for a mail ballot without giving a reason. In 2024, 24.0% of the ballots cast in North Dakota came by mail.
Registering to vote in North Dakotaonline, automatic and same-day registration
| Topic | North Dakota | All states |
|---|---|---|
| Online registration | ND does not have voter registration | 42 states and D.C. have online voter registration |
| Automatic registration | ND does not have voter registration | 24 states and D.C. have automatic voter registration |
| Pre-registration | ND does not have voter registration | 23 states and D.C. permit pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds |
| Same-day registration | ND does not have voter registration | 24 states and D.C. have same-day registration |
| Registration deadline | ND does not have voter registration | National average is 19 days before Election Day |
| Voter registration database | Top-down | 36 states and D.C. use top-down; six states use bottom-up; eight states use a hybrid system |
Register or check your registration on the federal portal: Vote.gov, North Dakota.
Casting a ballot in North DakotaID, early voting, mail ballots and drop boxes
| Topic | North Dakota | All states |
|---|---|---|
| ID to vote in person | ID required | 36 states require ID to vote in person |
| Early in-person voting | Begins 15 days before Election Day | 47 states and D.C. allow early in-person voting; national average is 21 days |
| Vote centers on Election Day | Vote centers are used | 21 states and D.C. allow vote centers for Election Day voting |
| Absentee voting without an excuse | Permitted | 36 states permit no-excuse absentee voting |
| Ballots mailed to every voter | Ballots are not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Eight states and D.C. mail ballots to all active registered voters |
| Deadline to return a mail ballot | Must be received by close of polls on Election Day | 36 states require ballots returned by Election Day* |
| Who may return another person's ballot | Voter's designee with written designation | 38 states have laws governing ballot collection |
| Ballot drop boxes | Not specified in statute | 12 states prohibit; 28 states permit; other states are silent |
| Fixing a mail ballot problem (cure) | Ballot cure process offered statewide | 33 states and D.C. have a ballot cure process |
| Mail ballot processing starts | 3 business days before Election Day | 43 states and D.C. begin processing before Election Day |
| Electronic ballot return | Permitted for UOCAVA voters and voters with disabilities | 32 states and D.C. allow for military and overseas voters; 13 states and D.C. allow for voters with disabilities |
Rules are those listed by the Election Assistance Commission and the National Conference of State Legislatures in January 2026; the right-hand column compares with all states. Laws can change, so check your state election office before you vote.
After the vote and primariesrecounts, audits and primary type
| Topic | North Dakota | All states |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic recount | Uses automatic recount threshold | 25 states and D.C. have automatic recount thresholds |
| Post-election audit | Uses post-election audits | 49 states and D.C. require post-election audits |
| Primary elections | Open | Primaries range from fully open to fully closed |
How people voted in 2024: North Dakotaballots by mode, mail voting and election administration
- In-person early 26.6% (99,007)
- By mail 24.0% (89,429)
- In person on Election Day 48.9% (181,998)
- Other 0.4% (1,540)
| Mail voting in 2024 | North Dakota |
|---|---|
| Mail ballots sent to voters | 94,676 |
| Share of sent mail ballots returned | 95.0% |
| Share of returned mail ballots counted | 99.4% |
| Mail ballots that went through ballot curing | n/a |
| Drop boxes | Allowed drop boxes |
| Running the 2024 election | North Dakota |
|---|---|
| Active registered voters (Nov. 5, 2024) | n/a |
| Registration transactions in the two years to the 2024 close | n/a |
| Voters removed from the rolls in that period | n/a |
| Confirmation notices sent | n/a |
| Voting locations | 172 |
| Poll workers | n/a |
| Election jurisdictions reporting | 53 |
Audits and checks reported: Access audit: no; Ballot reconciliation audit: yes; Compliance audit: no; Eligibility audit: no; Legal audit: no; Logic/accuracy testing: yes; Post-election tabulation audit: yes; Risk-limiting audit: no; Other audit(s): no.
Reported by the state to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (2024 Election Administration and Voting Survey). Reported Percentages may not sum to 100 because of missing answers. Read the EAC brief for North Dakota.
Who runs elections in North Dakotaofficial, local offices and website
- Chief election official: Secretary of State
- Who runs elections locally: County Auditor
- Election jurisdictions: 53
- State election website: www.sos.nd.gov
Source: EAC and NCSL State Election Profile for North Dakota, January 2026. Neither organization advocates for or against any election policy.