A North Dakota House committee took testimony on a bill to reinstate voter registration in North Dakota.
North Dakota is the only state without voter registration, after the 1951 Legislature did away with it.
Rep. Mike Schatz (R-New England) told the House Government and Veterans Affairs Committee – he has a concern about party members crossing over to vote for candidates in the other party in primary elections.
"I want Republican members voting to choose the Republican candidates, the Democratic party members voting to choose the Democratic candidate, and the independents voting for neither in the primary," Schatz told the Committee.
Schatz said to do that, when a person registers to vote, you would have to indicate party affiliation.
North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe opposed it, saying the state has effective voter ID laws in place that keep elections fair and secure.
"This piece of legislation has no added value to the election process, or security," Howe told the Committee. "I feel it creates an additional chore for voters to participate."
Other opposition came from representatives from Native America Votes, and the ACLU.
The committee did not take immediate action on the bill.
