The Truth about Absentee and Voting by Mail

Posted 3/06/24 (Wed)

The Integrity of North Dakota Elections

North Dakota Counties play a vital role in the administration of elections. It is through the County Auditor that North Dakota’s election laws are upheld and elections are conducted securely, accurately, and with integrity. The Office of the Secretary of State will be providing key election information to the readers of County News to spread the truth about our election processes and provide insight into the integrity of our election systems. This issue will feature the truth about absentee and voting by mail and North Dakota’s use of paper ballots.

The Truth about Absentee and Voting by Mail

North Dakota voters are never mailed a ballot without first requesting one. An application for a ballot must be filled out by the voter.

Each Board of County Commissioners has the option to designate their county as a vote by mail county. If the Board of County Commissioners does not designate their county as a vote by mail county, the county is an absentee county. The only difference between vote by mail counties and absentee counties is how the voter receives their application for a ballot. In vote by mail counties, the county auditor mails a ballot application to all eligible voters. In absentee counties, voters must request the application for an absentee ballot from their county auditor. The county auditor must receive and verify the completed application before a ballot is mailed to the voter.

Voter ID laws still apply when requesting to vote absentee or by mail. The application to request a ballot requires the eligible voter to include their date of birth, state-issued ID number, and signature on the application. Once the county auditor receives the completed application, the date of birth and ID number are verified against the Central Voter File for accuracy before a ballot is mailed. This ensures that our vote by mail and absentee voting complies with our strict voter ID law and ensures that only qualified electors are voting in our elections.

Checks and balances are in place when the ballot is returned to the county auditor to verify its validity before it is tabulated. The signature and ID information are validated against the application, and the Central Voter File is updated to indicate that the voter has returned a ballot. The Central Voter File notifies the county auditor and prohibits multiple ballots from being returned by the same voter. Additionally, the Central Voter File marks the voter as having returned an absentee or mail ballot, which prohibits that voter from voting again at the polling location.

North Dakota Only Uses Paper Ballots

As state law requires, North Dakota only uses paper ballots, which provides the counties and state an auditable paper trail post-election. There are two styles of paper ballots used in North Dakota elections:

1. Traditional paper ballot that a voter marks by filling in ovals with a pen.
2. ExpressVote paper ballot card that a voter marks using the ExpressVote assistive ballot marking device.

Each polling location has an ExpressVote assistive ballot marking device, which any qualified voter can use. The ExpressVote is not connected to the internet and has no components that would allow a connection. Voters who use the ExpressVote make their selections via a touchscreen and can use assistive features like having a ballot read to them or making the font sizes larger. After the voter makes their selections, they can review each selection on the ExpressVote screen. If the voter is satisfied with their selections, they can print them on the ExpressVote paper ballot card and review their selections a second time. The ExpressVote paper ballot card is then inserted into the ballot tabulator and scanned like traditional paper ballots at the polling location.

Both traditional paper ballots and ExpressVote paper ballot cards are cast and counted in the DS200 Ballot Tabulator. Ballots are securely stored for 22 months, as required by federal and state law, with their respective County Recorder’s office in their vault.

In our next segment of County News, the Office of the Secretary of State will provide information on the security and testing of election equipment used in all North Dakota elections.