North Dakota state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018

Elections in North Dakota, 2018

* General election: Nov. 6
* Voter registration deadline: N/A (no formal registration process)
* Early voting: Sept. 27 - Nov. 5
* Absentee voting deadline: Postmark Nov. 5

* Online registration: N/A
* Same-day registration: N/A
* Voter ID: ID required
* Poll times: Varies according to the size of the precinct

* * *

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2018 North Dakota
State Legislature elections

General| November 6, 2018
Primary| June 12, 2018
2018 elections

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The Democratic primary elections for the seats in the North Dakota State Senate and the North Dakota House of Representatives were on June 12, 2018. For information about the Republican primary elections in North Dakota, click here.

The general election was on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was April 9, 2018. In the state Senate, 24 of 47 seats were up for election. In the state House, 48 of 94 seats were up for election.

HIGHLIGHTS

* As of December 2017, North Dakota was one of 26 Republican trifectas. A state government trifecta is a term used to describe a single-party government where one political party holds the governor's office and a majority in both chambers of the state legislature. To find out more about state government trifectas, click here.

## Contents

* 1 Incumbents who did not advance to the general election
* 1.1 Retiring incumbents
* 1.2 Incumbents defeated
* 2 Competitiveness
* 3 Partisan control
* 3.1 North Dakota House of Representatives
* 3.2 North Dakota State Senate
* 4 Battleground races
* 5 Media coverage
* 6 Voter information
* 6.1 How the primary works
* 6.2 Poll times
* 6.3 Registration requirements
* 6.4 Voter ID requirements
* 6.5 Early voting
* 6.6 Absentee voting
* 7 See also
* 8 Footnotes

## Incumbents who did not advance to the general election[edit]

### Retiring incumbents[edit]

One Democratic state Senate incumbent did not file for re-election.

* Carolyn Nelson (District 21)

Two Democratic state House incumbents did not file for re-election.

* Kathy Hogan (District 21)
* Lois Delmore (District 43)

### Incumbents defeated[edit]

No incumbents were defeated in 2018.

## Competitiveness[edit]

See also: 2018 primary election competitiveness in state and federal government and North Dakota state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018

Like 2016, there were no contested Democratic primaries. There was only one contested Democratic primary in 2014. The number of contested Republican was slightly higher, rising from four in 2016 to six in 2018.

Year | Total seats | Open seats | Total candidates | Democratic primaries contested | Republican primaries contested | Total contested | Incumbents contested in primaries | Total incumbents contested in primaries

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2018 | 72 | 12 | 134 | 0 | 6 | 6.3% | 6 | 10.0%
2016 | 70 | 15 | 141 | 0 | 4 | 2.9% | 7 | 12.7%
2014 | 72 | 13 | 127 | 1 | 3 | 3.6% | 4 | 6.8%

## Partisan control[edit]

The tables below show the partisan breakdowns of the North Dakota House of Representatives and North Dakota State Senate as of June 2018:

### North Dakota House of Representatives[edit]

Party  | As of June 2018

|

| Democratic Party | 13
| Republican Party | 81
| Vacancies  | 0
Total |  94

### North Dakota State Senate[edit]

Party  | As of June 2018

|

| Democratic Party | 9
| Republican Party | 38
| Vacancies  | 0
Total |  47

## Battleground races[edit]

Ballotpedia identified battleground races in the 2018 North Dakota state legislative Republican primary elections. These primaries had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could have led to changes in the membership of the Republican caucus or had an impact on general election races.

To determine the North Dakota state legislative Republican primary battleground races in 2018, Ballotpedia examined races that fit one or more of the three factors listed below:

1. Identified by the media as a notable primary election.
2. One or more of the candidates received a notable endorsement.
3. The primary was known to be competitive based on past results or because it was a rematch of a primary that was competitive in the past.

## Media coverage[edit]

This section provides an overview of media reactions to the North Dakota state legislative Republican primaries.[1] Selected articles are presented as a jumping-off point for deeper exploration of media coverage and as an overview of narratives that have emerged surrounding the elections.

## Voter information[edit]

### How the primary works[edit]

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. A primary election is also sometimes used to choose convention delegates and party leaders; however, these selection processes can vary from state to state and party to party within a state. In North Dakota, precinct, district, and state party officials are selected at party caucuses and conventions, not at the state-administered primary election. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. North Dakota utilizes an open primary system, in which voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[2][3]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

### Poll times[edit]

In North Dakota, voting hours at polling locations vary by county. According to statute, all polls must open between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. local time, and they must close between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. North Dakota is divided between the Central and Mountain time zones. Hours for specific polling places are available online through the state's Polling Place Search. Anyone in line when the polls close must be allowed to vote.[4][5]

### Registration requirements[edit]

Check your voter information here.

North Dakota is the only state that does not require voter registration.[6][7]

“  | Although North Dakota was one of the first states to adopt voter registration prior to the turn of the century, it abolished it in 1951. It is also worth noting that North Dakota law still provides cities with the ability to register voters for city elections.

North Dakota is a rural state and its communities maintain close ties and networks. North Dakota's system of voting, and lack of voter registration, is rooted in its rural character by providing small precincts. Establishing relatively small precincts is intended to ensure that election boards know the voters who come to the polls to vote on Election Day and can easily detect those who should not be voting in the precinct.[6][8]

| ”

|
|

—North Dakota Secretary of State

### Voter ID requirements[edit]

North Dakota requires voters to present identification while voting. Identification must include the voter’s name, current North Dakota residential address, and date of birth.[9]

The following are acceptable forms of voter identification as of November 2025. Click here for the North Dakota Secretary of State page on accepted ID for the most current information.

“  |

* North Dakota Driver’s license
* North Dakota Nondriver’s identification card
* Tribal government issued identification (including those issued by BIA for a tribe located in North Dakota, any other tribal agency or entity, or any other document that sets forth the tribal member’s name, date of birth, and current North Dakota residential address)
* Long term care identification certificate (provided by North Dakota facility)
* If an individual’s acceptable form of identification (see list above) does not include the North Dakota residential address or date of birth, or the North Dakota residential address is not current, the individual may supplement the identification with a current utility bill; a current bank statement; a check or a document issued by a federal, state, local, or tribal government (including those issued by BIA for a tribe located in North Dakota, any other tribal agency or entity, or any other document that sets forth the tribal member’s name, date of birth, and current North Dakota residential address); or a paycheck.
* Students enrolled at an institution of higher education, and who have a valid form of North Dakota identification with a different North Dakota address than where they currently reside, may provide, as supplemental documentation, a printed document containing the student’s name, address, and date of birth issued by the institution of higher education. This document must contain the institution's letterhead or seal, along with a student photo identification card issued by the institution and containing the student's photograph and legal name.
* Military ID or Passport – Only for North Dakota residents living outside the United States who do not possess one of the other forms of identification.[8]

| ”

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To view North Dakota state law pertaining to voter identification, click here.

According to the secretary of state's office, an absentee ballot applicant "without an acceptable form of ID may use an attester." The attester "must provide name, valid ID number and sign the absentee or mail ballot application attesting the applicant's ND residency or voting eligibility."[9]

### Early voting[edit]

North Dakota law permits counties to establish early voting.[10] As of November 2025, six of North Dakota's 53 counties offered early voting. Together, these counties contained 63 of the state's 157 Election Day polling places.[11] Learn more by visiting this website.

Early voting allows citizens to cast their ballots in person at a polling place before an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting. Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire do not offer no-excuse early voting.

### Absentee voting[edit]

All voters are eligible to vote absentee in North Dakota. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.[12][13]

There is no specific deadline for applying for an absentee ballot. The completed ballot must be received by the appropriate election official by the close of polls on Election Day.[13][14]

## See also[edit]

* North Dakota state legislative Republican primaries, 2018
* North Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2018
* North Dakota State Senate elections, 2018
* North Dakota State Legislature
* North Dakota elections, 2018

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ In selecting articles for inclusion in this section, Ballotpedia has drawn from a variety of sources and viewpoints to identify articles that are representative of broader trends in media coverage.
2. ↑ North Dakota Legislative Assembly, "N.D. Cent. Code § 16.1–11–22," accessed November , 2025
3. ↑ North Dakota Legislative Assembly, "N.D. Cent. Code § 16.1-01-06," accessed November 7, 2025
4. ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "Q: What are voting hours in North Dakota?" accessed November 6, 2025
5. ↑ North Dakota Legislative Assembly, "N.D. Cent. Code § 16.1-01-03," accessed November 6, 2025
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 North Dakota Secretary of State, “North Dakota….The Only State Without Voter Registration,” accessed November 6, 2025
7. ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, “Voting in North Dakota,” accessed November 6, 2025
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 North Dakota Secretary of State, "ID Requirements for Voting," accessed November 4, 2025
10. ↑ North Dakota Legislative Assembly, "N.D. Cent. Code § 16.1-07-15," accessed November 6, 2025
11. ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "Early Voting Available Counties," accessed November 5, 2025
12. ↑ North Dakota Legislative Assembly, "N.D. Cent. Code § 16.1-07-01," accessed November 5, 2025
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 North Dakota Secretary of State, "North Dakota Residents Choosing to Vote Absentee or by Mail," accessed November 5, 2025
14. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `hb1165`

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