Election Day · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
How to vote in North Dakota
The deadlines, early voting, mail ballots and ID rules for North Dakota, and what happens after the polls close. Every fact links to the North Dakota Secretary of State or the law it comes from. Rules change, and courts sometimes change them close to an election, so confirm anything you are relying on with the state.
Checked against official sources on October 7.
Key dates
- Register online by
Online registration is not available
North Dakota has no voter registration.
- Register by mail by
North Dakota has no voter registration.
- Register in person by
North Dakota has no voter registration.
- Same-day registration
No registration exists: any U.S. citizen 18 or older who has lived in North Dakota for 30 days votes by showing valid ID.
- Early voting
Monday, October 19 to Monday, November 2
Computed: early voting must be authorized during the 15 days immediately before Election Day (NDCC 16.1-07-15). Each county auditor picks the business days and hours, so start dates vary.
- How early voting works
Some counties offer in-person early voting during the 15 days before Election Day, on days and hours set by the county auditor. Bring valid ID.
- Request a mail ballot by
Monday, November 2
The Secretary of State lists November 2 as the application deadline; the statute says to apply early enough to receive and mail the ballot before Election Day (NDCC 16.1-07-05).
- Return your mail ballot by
Tuesday, November 3
Received, not postmarked: by the close of polls on Election Day, by mail, county drop box, or in person to the county auditor. Absentee ballots are not accepted at polling places. The voter pays postage.
- Election Day polling hours
9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Polls close no earlier than 7 p.m. and no later than 9 p.m., as each city or county sets. Voters in line at closing may vote.
Voting by mail
- Who can vote by mail
Any voter can vote by mail
Any qualified voter may request an absentee ballot. In vote-by-mail counties, residents are mailed an application, but a ballot is never sent without one. Polling places are open in every county on Election Day.
- Drop boxes
Yes
Secure drop boxes in each county, open until polls close.
- Ballots arriving after Election Day
Not counted — your ballot must arrive by the deadline
Absentee ballots received after polls close are not counted (NDCC 16.1-07-09).
ID at the polls
- The rule
ID required (photo not needed)
Valid ID is required to vote: a North Dakota driver's license, non-driver ID, tribal ID or tribal letter, or long-term care certificate, showing your current residential address (or with supplemental documents showing it). Without valid ID you vote a set-aside ballot, which counts only if you present ID to the county before the canvassing board meets 13 days after the election.
- What to bring
Bring a North Dakota driver's license, non-driver ID (free from NDDOT), tribal ID or letter, or long-term care certificate. If the address is out of date, also bring a bank statement, utility bill or government document with your current address. Out-of-state IDs don't work.
When will we know results in North Dakota?
How fast results come in depends mostly on when the polls close and when election officials are allowed to start on mail ballots. Totals shown on election night are unofficial until the state certifies them.
- Last polls close
9 p.m. local time (the state spans Central and Mountain time) — 11 p.m. Eastern
The latest closing the statute allows is 9 p.m. local time; in a Mountain-time county that is the last possible closing. Which counties actually stay open until 9 p.m.
- Mail ballots can be processed from
Thursday, October 29
Computed: starting three business days before Election Day, election boards may check signatures, open envelopes and put ballots in the ballot box for tabulation (NDCC 16.1-07-12).
- Mail ballots can be counted from
Tuesday, November 3
Votes may not be tallied and tabulation reports may not be generated until polls close on Election Day.
- Counties finish their count by
Monday, November 16
Computed: county canvassing boards meet on the 13th day after the election (NDCC 16.1-15-17). The Secretary of State's 2026 calendar lists November 18; the statutory date is given here and the difference was not resolved.
- State certifies results
Friday, November 20
Computed: the State Canvassing Board meets no later than 17 days after the election (NDCC 16.1-15-35).
- Automatic recount
0.5% or less of the winner's votes
A recount is mandatory when a candidate loses a general election by 0.5% or less of the highest vote cast for that office, or a measure is decided by 0.25% or less (NDCC 16.1-16-01).
- Requested recount
over 0.5% and under 2%
A losing candidate may demand a recount within 3 days after the state canvass, with a bond to cover its cost.
- Runoff
No runoff — the candidate with the most votes wins
N.D.C.C. 16.1-01-06: "in all elections for the choice of any officer, the individual receiving the highest number of votes for any office is deemed elected." Checked in the Secretary-of-State-published code chapter 16.1-01 on 2026-10-08; no general-election runoff provision found in chapters 16.1-01, -03, -11, -12, -13 and -15.
- Ranked-choice voting
Not used
N.D.C.C. 16.1-01-06.1: "Approval voting or ranked-choice voting may not be used in an election held within this state to elect or nominate a candidate to any local, state, or federal elective office."
- Votes needed to pass a ballot measure
A simple majority
Simple majority today. The Secretary of State's 2026 measures page describes HCR 3003 as changing the threshold for approving a constitutional amendment "from a simple majority to sixty percent"; it is a measure on the 2026 ballot itself, so the 60% rule would apply only to later votes if voters approve it.
What’s on your ballot
Every contest you will vote on, from Congress to school board, with each candidate’s positions and record and the arguments for and against them.
Confirm this with the official source
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at North Dakota Secretary of State.