North Dakota Voter Registration Information

North Dakota Voter Registration Database Report:
State Regulations and Procedures Implementing HAVA Voter Registration Requirements

Attached under the "Attachment" link at the foot of this article, is the North Dakota Voter Registration Information as set forth in Making the List, Database Matching and Verification Processes for Voter Registration, published by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University on March 24, 2006. This document contains available information about voter regtistration current as of the date of publication.

North Dakota's registration regulations couldn't be simpler: North Dakota does not register voters. It is the only state in the union that does not.

Apparently, since North Dakota does not practice voter registration, there is no requirement to assemble the centralized statewide voter registration base required by HAVA of all other states that do have voter registration systems.

Federal law now requires, as of January 1, 2006, that states create and maintain statewide databases to serve as the central source of voter registration information. Citizens’ ability to get on the rolls (and thus their ability to vote and have their votes counted) will now depend on the policies and procedures governing the use of these databases in the voter registration process.

Evidence demonstrates that poor policy and procedure choices could result in the unwarranted disenfranchisement of millions of eligible citizens attempting to register to vote. The new statewide databases, and their role in the voter registration process, are poorly understood, but extremely consequential.

The "Making the List" report, issued just as the state databases begin to come online, presents the first comprehensive catalog of the widely varying state database practices governing how (and in some cases, whether) individuals seeking to register will be placed on the voter rolls.

The report covers all states' voter registration processes, from the application form up through Election Day -- including the intake of registration forms, the manner in which information from the forms may be matched to other government lists, the consequences of the match process, and any opportunity to correct errors. Each variation at each step of the process has tangible consequences for voters seeking to register and vote in 2006 and beyond.