North Dakota Code § 16.1-01-03

Opening and closing of the polls
Open in Lexace · Ask the AI about this section
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.

‹ Prev All North Dakota sections Next ›


Lexace provides legal information, not legal advice, and no attorney–client relationship is created. Statute text is provided for general information and may not reflect the most recent amendments; verify against the official state code.