Next Tuesday, June 9, is the official day for North Dakota’s primary election.
In reality, that’s the last day to vote, and the day the votes will be counted. That’s because mail-in voting and early voting has begun.
Normally, primary elections don’t have the amount of turnout that general elections do. But turnout this year could be higher due to primary contests for GOP statewide and legislative seats, and tight races for local offices in certain cities and counties. There are also some spending measures on the local ballots.
The statewide issue on the ballot which is on the proposal that an initiated state Constitutional measure be limited to one subject. The same would go for Constitutional changes proposed by the Legislature.
You can find more information on the contested races, including links to voter guides, on Prairie Public’s Election 2026 webpage.
An important note on mail-in ballots
Because of a change approved by the Legislature, mail-in ballots received on primary election day after 7 p.m. will not be counted. If you have asked for a mail-in ballot, you can deliver them in-person to drop boxes or county offices before that deadline to make sure they are counted.
Shout-out to election workers
North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe says it takes around 3,000 poll workers per election. Many of them have worked a number of elections, and they say they enjoy it — not only because it’s important to our democracy, but because they enjoy meeting and talking with voters.
Correction 6/10/2026: The original version of this article stated mail-in ballots had to be turned in by election day because of a Presidential executive order. The new rule is actually due to a change approved by the North Dakota Legislature.
