North Dakota § 16.1-01-03 Opening and closing of the polls

North Dakota Statutes

§ 16.1-01-03 — Opening and closing of the polls

North Dakota § 16.1-01-03

Title 16.1Elections

Ch. 16.1-01General Provisions

This text of North Dakota § 16.1-01-03 (Opening and closing of the polls) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

N.D. Cent. Code § 16.1-01-03 (2026).

Text

The polls at all primary, general, and special elections must be opened at nine a.m. or
earlier, but not earlier than seven a.m., as designated for any precinct by resolution of the
governing body of the city or county in which the precinct is located. The polls must remain open
continuously until seven p.m. or a later hour, not later than nine p.m., as may be designated for
a precinct by resolution of the governing body of the city or county in which the precinct is
located. All electors standing in line to vote at the time the polls are set to close must be allowed
to vote, but electors arriving after closing time may not be allowed to vote. A voter may take up
to thirty minutes to mark and cast the ballot after receiving the ballot from the election judge.
After the polls close, the ele

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The polls at all primary, general, and special elections must be opened at nine a.m. or
earlier, but not earlier than seven a.m., as designated for any precinct by resolution of the
governing body of the city or county in which the precinct is located. The polls must remain open
continuously until seven p.m. or a later hour, not later than nine p.m., as may be designated for
a precinct by resolution of the governing body of the city or county in which the precinct is
located. All electors standing in line to vote at the time the polls are set to close must be allowed
to vote, but electors arriving after closing time may not be allowed to vote. A voter may take up
to thirty minutes to mark and cast the ballot after receiving the ballot from the election judge.
After the polls close, the election board shall generate the report of the vote totals not later than
thirty minutes after the last elector in line at the closing time received a ballot. An elector
remaining in the polling place after the thirty minutes have expired who has not completed
marking the ballot must be offered the choice of casting the ballot as marked or continuing to
mark the ballot. If the elector chooses to continue marking the ballot, the ballot selections must
be excluded from the report of the vote totals generated by the election board but must be
forwarded by the election board to the canvassing board and added to the final tally. The
secretary of state shall develop uniform, mandatory procedures for election boards to ensure
the secrecy of each elector's ballot. The election officers present are responsible for determining
who arrived in time to vote, and the election officers shall establish appropriate procedures for
making that determination. All determinations required to be made pursuant to this section
relating to polling hours must be made, and the county auditor notified of the determinations, no
later than thirty days before an election.