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North Dakota's Primaries

Partisan Primary Types​

Democratic PartyRepublican Party
Presidential PrimariesState PrimariesPresidential PrimariesState Primaries
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Presidential and State Primaries Scheduling​

Consolidated Primaries: no

North Dakota is one of the states that have not merged their presidential and state primaries. On a Presidential Election year, presidential primaries/caucuses and State primaries are scheduled to run on different days

North Dakota is just one of five states where the state does not run the presidential primary election. Each of our counties will conduct the primary election for statewide candidates and local races; but in ND, the political parties run their own presidential primaries.

Democratic Presidential Primary​

  • Any qualified North Dakota voter or any person who will have met all the qualifications of a voter at the next general election, and who has completed a form declaring they wish to participate as a Democrat is qualified to vote in the Party-Run Primary.

Republican Presidential Caucus​

  • The North Dakota Republican Party hosts a Presidential Caucus to help choose the Republican nominee for President of the United States. 12 locations throughout the state host local caucuses for constituents to participate in the process.

Delegates and Presidential Primaries​

The presidential primary process involves selecting delegates who will represent the state at the party's national convention. Delegates selected from the primary elections attend the party's national convention, where they officially nominate the presidential candidate. The candidate with the majority of delegates becomes the party's nominee for the presidential election. Candidates Ballot access rules vary depending on the candidate’s political party.

Democratic PartyRepublican Party
Total Del. VotesPled.Unpled.Altern.Total Del. VotesPled.Unpled.Altern.
17 13 4 2 19 19 26

Democratic Party Primary Delegates Process​

Democratic Party's Delegates Allocation​

ND Democratic Party will send a total of 17 Delegate Votes (13 Pledged, 4 unpledged) and 2 Alternate delegates to the Democratic National Convention. The party will use a proportional representation system based on the results of the Presidential Primary Election for apportioning pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

Presidential Candidates Ballot Access​

  • A presidential candidate gains access to the State presidential preference primary ballot if:
  • The candidate has filed the appropriate registration information with the federal election commission (FEC) to become a candidate for president of the United States; and
  • Please check with the State Democratic party for further requirements.

Delegates Breakdown​

  • District-level Delegates: 8
  • At-large Delegates: 3
  • Pledged PLEOs Delegates: 2
  • Automatic Delegates - Unpledged PLEOs: 4
  • Alternate Delegates: 2

Automatic Delegates (Unpledged PLEOs - Super Delegates) Breakdown​

  • DNC Members: 4
  • Dem. Members of Congress: 0
  • Dem. Gorvernors: 0
  • Distinguished Party Leaders: 0

Republican Party Primary Delegates Process​

Republican Party's Delegates Allocation​

The Republican party will send a total of 29 Delegate Votes (3 district-level, 23 at-large, 3 RNC) and 26 Alternate delegates to the Republican National Convention.

The party will use a Winner-Take_most representation system based on the results of the Presidential Primary Election for apportioning pledged delegates to the Republican National Convention.

Presidential Candidates Ballot Access​

  • A presidential candidate gains access to the State presidential preference primary ballot if:
  • The candidate has filed the appropriate registration information with the federal election commission (FEC) to become a candidate for president of the United States; and
  • Please check with the State Republican party for additional requirements.

Delegates Breakdown​

  • District-level Delegates: 3
  • At-large Delegates: 13
  • RNC Delegates: 3
  • Alternate Delegates: 26

NOTES​

This page contains primary election rules and Presidential Primary delegates allocation information on elections occurring across the country

Primary voting rules and delegate allocation apply to statewide partisan primary elections in most cases. However, check with your Town Clerk for primary voting guide as they may vary by town and political party.Please be advised that the information provided on this site is updated regularly but is subject to scheduling changes at the local level.

The information provided on the page was validated using the following resourses: