NORTH DAKOTA 3 Electoral Votes 
link to clickable map
Population 
(Source: U.S. Census Bureau, North Dakota Secretary of State)
Total Resident Population, July 1, 2019
762,062
No Voter Registration.  Eligible voters 581,379
North Dakota has: 53 counties.
Largest counties: Cass, Burleigh, Grand Forks, Ward. 

Government
Governor: Doug Burgum (R) seeking re-election in 2020.
State Legislature: ND Legislative Assembly   House: 94 seats  Senate: 47 seats
Local: Local Government, Tribal    NACO
U.S. House: 1R - Kelly Armstrong (R).
U.S. Senate: Kevin Cramer (R) elected in 2018, John Hoeven (R) re-elected in 2016.
2020
Governor: Gov. Doug Burgum (R) / Brent Sanford, seeking a second term, defeated veterinarian Shelley Lenz (D) / Ben Vig by 235,479 (65.84%) to 90,789 (25.38%) and 13,853 (3.87%) for DuWayne Hendrickson (L) / Joshua Voytek.
U.S. House: Freshman Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R) defeated retail manager Zak Raknerud (D) by 68.96% to 27.55% and 3.38% for Steven Peterson (L).
State Legislature: In the Senate 23 of 47 seats were up and in the House 47 of 94 seats were up.  The balance in the Senate went from 37R,10D to 40R,7D and the House from 79R,15D to 80R,14D.
Ballot Measures:
Voters soundly defeated two Constitutional Measures.  Constitutional Measure No. 1 would have increased the number of board members on the state board of higher education.  Constitutional Measure No. 2 would have set out how a constitutional amendments may be proposed by initiative petition.

 State of North Dakota
Elections Division

ND Democratic-NPL Party
ND Republican Party
Libertarian Party of ND
Green Party of ND >
Constitution Party of ND >

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Politics1-ND
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Peace Garden State
General Election -- Tuesday, November 3, 2020
Absentee Voting: You do not need to provide a reason.  Ballots available on the fortieth day before the election.

Early Voting: Available 15 days prior to the election.  It is up to each county to decide if and when they have an early voting precinct.

SOS

Official Results  >
 

+Trump/Pence (Rep.) 235,595
(65.11)
Biden/Harris (Dem.-NPL) 114,902
(31.76)
Jorgensen/Cohen (Lib.)
9,393
(2.60)
write-ins
1,929
(0.53)
Total........361,819

Voter turnout: 364,251
Overview: North Dakota was solidly in the Republican column.  Trump-Pence won the state's three electoral votes with a plurality of 120,693 votes (33.35 percentage points), carrying 51 of 53 counties.  Republicans swept all statewide offices by wide margins and picked up a few seats in the Legislative Assembly.
BALLOT [PDF]
[Primary June 9, 2020]
Democratic Presidential Preference Caucuses -- Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Democrats
Sanders 7,682 (52.81%), Biden 5,742 (39.47%)...  Total 14,546.  details

18 Delegates: 9 District, 3 At-Large, 2 PLEO, and 4 Unpledged.

Republicans



General Election Winners in North Dakota, 1992-2016
1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016
Bush
44.22%

37,076
12.04%

Dole
46.94%

18,145
6.81%
Bush
60.66%

79,586
27.60%

Bush
62.86%

85,599
27.36%

McCain
53.25%

27,323
8.63%
Romney
58.32%

63,354
19.62%
Trump
62.96%

123,036
35.73%
  and the details...

General Election -- Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Voting Eligible Population*: 585,031
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 60.9%.

Absentee Voting: You do not need to provide a reason.  Ballots available on the fortieth day before the election.


Early Voting: Available 15 days prior to the election.  It is up to each county to decide if and when they have an early voting precinct. 

51,160 ballots cast at early voting precincts for the Nov. 8, 2016 general election.


Official Results >


+Trump/Pence (Rep.)
216,794
(62.96)
Clinton/Kaine (Dem.-NPL)
93,758
(27.23)
Johnson/Weld (Lib.)
21,434
(6.22)
Stein/Baraka (Grn.)
3,780
(1.10)
Castle/Bradley (Const.)
1,833
(0.83)
De La Fuente (ADP)
364
(0.11)
write-ins
6,397
(1.86)
Total........344,360

Total ballots cast: 349,945
Overview: Thanks to the energy boom, North Dakota was the most rapidly growing state between 2010 and 2016, showing a 12.7-percent increase in population (only DC was higher at 13.2-percent).
   This was the most lopsided result in over 50 years.  Strong Republican showings extended from the top of the ticket to statewide and state legislative races.  Trump achieved a plurality of 123,036 votes (35.73 percentage points), carrying 51 of 53 counties.  Clinton won in just Rolette County (Rolla) on the northern edge and Sioux County (home of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation) on the southern edge.  Gary Johnson's 6.22% of the vote was his second best of any state after New Mexico.
   The state did see a couple of visits.  On Sept. 6 Dr. Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka visited the Red Warrior resistance camp in Standing Rock to join protesters against the Dakota Access Pipeline.  On Oct. 6 Chelsea Clinton did a breakfast fundraiser with Sen. Heitkamp in Fargo.

Clinton  |  Trump
BALLOT [PDF]
Note the unusual way the presidential candidates are presented on the ballot.  NDCC 16.1-06-07.1. Arrangement of names on ballot — Presidential electors: "To the left and opposite the center of each group of electors’ names must be printed in bold type the surname of the presidential candidate represented and in line with such surname must be placed a single oval.

General Election -- Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Voting Eligible Population*: 533,050.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 60.6%.



Official Results >


+Romney/Ryan (Rep.)
188,320 (58.32)
Obama/Biden (Dem.-NPL)
124,966
(38.70)
Goode/Clymer (Const.)
1,186
(0.37)
Johnson/Gray (Lib.)
5,238
(1.62)
Stein/Honkala (Grn.)
1,362
(0.42)
w/ins
1,860
(0.58)
Total........322,932


Total ballots cast: 325,862.
2012 Overview
Romney-Ryan won North Dakota with a plurality of 63,354 votes (19.62 percentage points), carrying all but six counties (Rolette, Ransom, Benson, Sargent, Sioux and Steele).  No visits were noted.  Both of Gov. Gary Johnson's parents are North Dakota natives; he lived in Minot for his first two years and had visited a few times since then.
Obama  |  (Romney)
BALLOT [PDF]

General Election -- Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Voting Eligible Population*: 486,871.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 65.0%.


 

Official Results >


+McCain/Palin (Rep.)
168,601 (53.25)
Obama/Biden (Dem.-NPL) 141,278 (44.62)
Baldwin (Const.)
1,199
(0.38)
Barr/Root (Lib.)
1,354
(0.43)
Nader/Gonzalez (Ind.)
4,189 (1.32)
Total........316,621





Total ballots cast: 321,133.
2008 Overview
The Obama campaign built up an organization in North Dakota, but shut it down in the latter part of September.  McCain-Palin won North Dakota's three electoral votes with a plurality of 27,323 votes (8.63 percentage points), carrying 40 counties to 13 for Obama.
Obama/Allies  |  McCain/Allies  |  Nader


General Election -- Tuesday, November 2, 2004
Voting Eligible Population*: 482,722.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 64.8%.

Official Results


+Bush/Cheney (Rep.)
 196,651
(62.86)
Kerry/Edwards (Dem.-NPL)
 111,052
(35.50)
Michael Peroutka (Const.) 514 (0.16)
Michael Badnarik (Lib.)
851 
(0.27)
Ralph Nader (Ind.)
 3,756
(1.20)
Martin Wishnatsky (w/in)
 9
Total........312,833
 




Total ballots cast: 316,049.
2004 Overview
Although North Dakota experienced a 1.2% decrease in population in the period from April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2004, 8.5% more people voted in the Nov. 2004 race for president than had voted in 2000.  Bush won with a plurality of 85,599 votes (27.36 percentage points).  Bush carried 49 counties to 4 for Kerry (Benson, Rolette, Sioux and Steele).

General Election -- Tuesday, November 7, 2000
Voting Eligible Population*: 477,968.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 60.3%.
Official Results


Gore/Lieberman (Dem-NPL)
95,284
(33.06)
+Bush/Cheney (Rep.)
174,852
(60.66)
Buchanan/Foster (Ref.)
7,288
(2.53)
Phillips/Frazier (Const.)
373
(0.13)
Hagelin/Goldhaber (Ind.)
313
(0.11)
Nader/LaDuke (Ind.)
9,486
(3.28)
Browne/Olivier (Ind.)
660
(0.23)
Total........288,256




Total ballots cast: 292,249.
2000 Overview
To no one's surprise the Bush-Cheney ticket handily claimed North Dakota's three electoral votes, winning with a plurality of 79,586 votes (27.60 percentage points) and carrying 51 of 53 counties.  Pat Buchanan, who visited Fargo on Oct. 17, achieved one of his best showings nationwide in North Dakota -- a meager 2.5%.  Gore's two counties were Sioux (on the southern edge of the state; part of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation) and Rolette (on the northern edge of the state; encompases Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation).

Notes: Established political parties in North Dakota were the Republican, Democratic-NPL and Reform parties.  Third parties could establish themselves and gain access by April 14, 2000 (the sixtieth day prior to the June 13, 2000 Primary Election) as the Constitution Party did. Other candidates must run under Independent nominations, requiring submission of petitions containing signatures of 4,000 qualified North Dakota electors to the Secretary of State by Sept. 8, 2000 at 4 p.m. (the sixtieth day prior to the Nov. 7, 2000 General Election).

1992 and 1996 General Elections
Archive Pages: 2016 | 2012 | 2008 | 2004 | 2000 1992
Bush (Rep.)..........136,244
(44.22)
Clinton (Dem.)........99,168
(32.18)
Perot (Ind.).............71,084
(23.07)
Others (5+w/in)........1,637
(0.53)
Total........308,133

1996
Dole (Rep.)...........125,050
(46.94)
Clinton (Dem.).......106,905
(40.13)
Perot (Ref.).............32,515
(12.20)
Others (2+w/ins).......1,941
(0.73)
Total........266,411