North Dakota
Low caps, no voter registration, and a hard no-cure rule
North Dakota is the only state with no voter registration, so “qualified elector” is a status you attest to rather than a database entry the state can check against. Candidate petitions are capped at 300 signatures for nearly every office, making ballot access unusually cheap — while the statewide initiative, pegged to census population rather than turnout, is one of the more demanding in the region. The state also gives you exactly one shot: once initiative petitions are filed, they cannot be pulled back for more signatures.
Signature Requirements
| Office / Measure | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Statewide & congressional (partisan primary) | 3% of votes cast for that office by that party at the last general election, capped at 300 |
| Legislative district (partisan primary) | 1% of the district’s total population, capped at 300 |
| Nonpartisan statewide, judicial, district | 300 signatures |
| County office | 2% of electors who voted for that office at the last election, capped at 300 |
| City office | 10% of electors who voted for that office at the last election, capped at 300 |
| Independent nomination — statewide | 1,000 qualified electors |
| Independent nomination — legislative | 2% of district resident population, capped at 300 |
| Initiated constitutional amendment | 4% of state resident population — 31,164 (2020 census, in force 2022–2030) |
| Initiated statute or veto referendum | 2% of state resident population — 15,582 (2020 census, in force 2022–2030) |
Filing windows and circulation clocks
Primary petitions may not be circulated or signed before January 1 of the election year, and must be filed by 4 p.m. on the 64th day before the June primary. Independent nominations for the general election have their own window: circulation may begin no more than 150 days before the filing deadline, which is the 64th day before the general election. Withdrawal is allowed for 48 hours after each deadline. There are no candidate filing fees in North Dakota — petitions are the only currency.
Who may sign and who may circulate
A qualified elector is a U.S. citizen, at least 18, who has lived in the North Dakota jurisdiction for 30 days. Because there is no registration roll, the Secretary of State verifies initiative signatures by representative random sampling using postcards, phone calls, personal interviews, or comparable techniques, with a 35-day statutory ceiling on the review. Initiative circulators must themselves be qualified electors, and paying circulators on any basis tied to signature counts is illegal — salary or expense arrangements are permitted only if a statement of intent is filed beforehand.
Notarization
Candidate petition sheets do not carry a notarized circulator affidavit, but initiative and referendum petitions do: each petition copy needs the circulator’s notarized affidavit swearing signatures were gathered in their presence. The 25-member sponsoring committee must file individually notarized affidavits, and committee members may not notarize each other — nor may spouses notarize one another. The committee chair signs a final notarized affidavit at submission.
What kills a signature
Signatures fail when the signer is not a qualified elector, signs twice, omits or illegibly writes a printed name, address or date, or signs outside the circulator’s presence. Two quirks help you: ditto marks carrying an address down the sheet are acceptable, and an undated line stays valid if it is bracketed above and below by properly dated lines. Fraudulent signatures expose sponsoring committee members to civil penalties up to $3,000 and organizations to a five-year bar on doing business in the state.
No cure period
North Dakota has no cure window on any petition. Once initiative petitions are filed with the Secretary of State they are considered filed and may not be returned to the sponsoring committee to continue circulating or to resubmit later. Every campaign should bank a validity cushion of 25–35% above the raw threshold before filing.
Ballot Measures in North Dakota
North Dakota has a full citizen initiative for both statutes and constitutional amendments, plus a veto referendum, all administered by the Secretary of State. A sponsoring committee of at least 25 qualified electors submits the draft text and a short title; once approved for circulation, the petition may circulate for one year. Constitutional initiatives need signatures equal to 4% of the state’s resident population from the most recent federal decennial census — 31,164 under the 2020 count, a figure that holds through 2030 — while initiated statutes and referendums need 2%, or 15,582. Completed petitions must be filed at least 120 days before a statewide election to appear on that ballot; referendum petitions run on a separate track tied to 90 days after the referred law is filed with the Secretary of State. Verification is by representative random sample rather than a full count, and there is no cure period once filed. Recent activity has been restrictive: a 2024 measure combining a single-subject rule with a requirement that constitutional initiatives pass twice failed, but a narrower single-subject amendment passed in June 2026, and a legislatively referred measure raising the approval threshold for constitutional amendments to 60% has been referred to the 2026 ballot — confirm its status with the Secretary of State before planning a cycle around it.
What Trips Campaigns Up in North Dakota
We've Worked This Ground
North Dakota Ballot Access FAQ
Is there a filing fee alternative in North Dakota?
There is no candidate filing fee in North Dakota, so there is nothing to buy your way out of. Petition signatures are the only route to the ballot for partisan, nonpartisan, and independent candidates alike.
Can I pay circulators in North Dakota?
You may pay circulators a salary or expenses, but not on any basis related to the number of signatures collected. Per-signature pay is illegal, and you must file a statement of intent before compensating circulators.
How does the state verify initiative signatures?
The Secretary of State uses a representative random sample, contacting signers by postcard, telephone, personal interview, or other accepted methods, with the review capped at 35 days. Full line-by-line counts are not the default.
Does North Dakota have a cure period?
No. Once petitions are filed they cannot be returned to the sponsoring committee for additional signatures or later resubmission, which is why experienced campaigns file with a large surplus.
Running a Campaign in This State?
Signature requirements are the easy part. Hitting them on deadline is the job.