North Dakota has held two statewide elections in 2020: a primary election on Tuesday, June 9, and a general election on Tuesday, November 3. In addition, each

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

has elected officers on Tuesday, March 17, and each school district held their elections on a date of their choosing between April 1 and June 30.

Primary Election

On Tuesday, June 9, North Dakota voters will select which candidates for statewide and legislative office will appear on the November ballot. Because North Dakota does not have party registration, any eligible voter may vote in any one party's primary election. In addition, any number of constitutional amendments, initiated measures, or referred measures may be placed on the ballot by petition or legislative action. The State of North Dakota does not provide for a

presidential primary The presidential primary elections and caucuses held in the various U.S. state, states, the Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, and territories of the United States form part of the nominating process of candidates for United States preside ...

, but the Democratic–NPL Party has held a firehouse caucus on March 10, 2020, to select delegates to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

. , the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

has yet to announce plans for selecting delegates to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

General election

On Tuesday, November 3, concurrent with other statewide elections across the United States, North Dakota voters will select three electors to the

United States Electoral College The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

to elect the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

, one

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

to represent

North Dakota's at-large congressional district North Dakota's at-large congressional district is the sole congressional district for the state of North Dakota. Based on size, it is the eighth largest congressional district in the nation. The district is currently represented by Kelly Armstro ...

, their

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

(alongside

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

), and a number of other statewide executive and judicial officials. Voters who live in even-numbered legislative districts will also select their representatives to the

North Dakota House of Representatives The North Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly and is larger than the North Dakota Senate. North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative districts apportioned by population as d ...

and

North Dakota Senate The North Dakota Senate is the upper house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly, smaller than the North Dakota House of Representatives. Per the state constitution, North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative districts appor ...

. Finally, voters may face any number of constitutional amendments, initiated measures, or referred measures placed on the ballot by petition.

Federal offices

United States President

North Dakota voters will select a presidential candidate on their ballots; the candidate with the most votes will send their preselected electors to represent North Dakota in the Electoral College. The state of North Dakota has three electoral votes in the Electoral College, and so will send three electors.

United States Representative

Freshman incumbent Republican

Kelly Armstrong Kelly Michael Armstrong (born October 8, 1976) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for North Dakota's at-large congressional district since 2019. A member of the Republi ...

ran for re-election.

State offices

Governor and lieutenant governor

Republican incumbent Governor

Doug Burgum Douglas James Burgum (born August 1, 1956) is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and politician serving as the 33rd governor of North Dakota since 2016. He is a member of the Republican Party. Burgum was born and raised in the small to ...

and Lieutenant Governor

Brent Sanford Brent Sanford (born December 23, 1971) is an American politician serving as the 38th lieutenant governor of North Dakota since 2016. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was Mayor of Watford City from 2010 to 2016. Career Sanford gr ...

, both serving their first terms in statewide elected office, ran together for re-election.

State Treasurer

Incumbent Republican

Kelly Schmidt Kelly Schmidt (born August 26, 1962) is an American politician who served as the 33rd North Dakota treasurer from 2005 to 2021. She is the longest-serving treasurer in North Dakota's history and a member of the Republican Party Republican Party ...

, the longest serving

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...

in the state's history, announced she would not seek re-election in 2020. In the primary, State Representative

Thomas Beadle Thomas Beadle (born March 22, 1987) is an American politician from the U.S. state, state of North Dakota. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, he is the North Dakota State Treasurer. Beadle was previously a member of the North Dakota H ...

was elected to fill the open seat.

State Auditor

In the

State Auditor State auditors (also known as state comptrollers, state controllers, state examiners, or inspectors general) are fiscal officers lodged in the executive or legislative branches of U.S. state governments who serve as external auditors, financial ...

race, incumbent Republican

Josh Gallion Joshua Charles Gallion (born March 19, 1979) is an American Republican Party (United States), Republican politician and accountant who has served as North Dakota State Auditor since 2017. Biography Gallion, born in Spokane, Washington, served ...

, who provoked lawmakers' ire with his reviews in his first term, ran for re-election. ;Polling ;Result

Insurance Commissioner

In the election for

Insurance Commissioner An insurance commissioner (or commissioner of insurance) is a public official in the executive branch of a state or territory in the United States who, along with his or her office, regulate the insurance industry. The powers granted to the office ...

, incumbent Republican

Jon Godfread Jonathan Godfread is an American politician from the state of North Dakota. A member of the Republican Party, he is the North Dakota Insurance Commissioner, and has served in the role since 2016. Early life and career Godfread is from Grand Fo ...

ran for re-election unopposed.

Superintendent of Public Instruction

The election for

Superintendent of Public Instruction A state education agency or state department of education is the state-level government organization within each U.S. state or territory responsible for education, including providing information, resources, and technical assistance on educationa ...

in North Dakota is nonpartisan. Incumbent

Kirsten Baesler Kirsten Baesler is the North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction, a position she has held since her North Dakota elections, 2012#Superintendent of Public Instruction, election in 2012. Baesler is originally from Flasher, North Dakota. Ori ...

, who is a registered Republican, ran for re-election.

Public Service Commissioner

One of three seats in the state Public Service Commission went up for election. Incumbent Republican

Brian Kroshus Brian Kroshus (born 1963/1964) is an American businessman and politician serving as the Tax Commissioner of North Dakota. He is a former member of the North Dakota Public Service Commission. Kroshus was appointed to both positions by Governor Doug ...

ran for re-election to a full six-year term.

Justice of the Supreme Court

Chief Justice Jon J. Jensen ran unopposed in a nonpartisan election to a ten-year term.

State legislative races

23 seats in the

and 47 seats in the

are up for election. Voters in all even-numbered districts will see those races on their ballots. The outcome of this election could affect partisan balance during post-

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

redistricting Redistribution (re-districting in the United States and in the Philippines) is the process by which electoral districts are added, removed, or otherwise changed. Redistribution is a form of boundary delimitation that changes electoral dist ...

. Among the candidates for the North Dakota House, Republican candidate

David Andahl David Dean Andahl (October 30, 1964 – October 5, 2020) was an American politician, rancher, land developer and driver. In the 2020 election, Andahl defeated longtime incumbent Jeff Delzer in the Republican primary for a seat in the North Da ...

who died due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

in October 2020 had eventually won a seat in the

Measures

Voters will face any number of constitutional measures and statutes initiated or referred to the ballot by petition.

Measure 1

;Polling ;Result

Measure 2

;Polling ;Result

Notes

;Partisan clients

References

External links

Vote.ND.gov
the official North Dakota Secretary of State election information portal * * * (State affiliate of the U.S.

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

) * {{2020 United States elections

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...