The proposed bill amends various sections of the North Dakota Century Code related to election practices and administration. Key amendments include changes to the requirements for nominating petitions for candidates running for office, specifying that candidates must present a petition with signatures from 25 to 300 qualified electors. Additionally, the bill clarifies that individuals may not participate in the nomination of more than one candidate for each office and establishes a final filing date for these petitions. It also modifies the process for certifying election results, stating that the county auditor of the candidate's residence will issue the certificate of election when a district spans multiple counties.

Furthermore, the bill introduces new provisions prohibiting the use of nonpublic funds for election operations, except for specific nonmonetary donations, and it explicitly states that private entities cannot administer elections. Other amendments include the requirement for the county auditor to use prescribed envelopes for mailing ballots and applications, as well as the publication of sample ballots in a manner that allows voters to easily identify candidates from their legislative districts. The bill also repeals two existing sections related to election notices and municipal voter registration, streamlining the election process in North Dakota.

Statutes affected:
INTRODUCED: 4.1-20-16, 4.1-20-18, 16.1-01-00.1, 16.1-01-15.1, 16.1-05-01, 16.1-06-02, 16.1-06-04, 16.1-07-07, 16.1-07-08, 16.1-12-02.2
Adopted by the House Political Subdivisions Committee: 4.1-20-16, 4.1-20-18, 16.1-01-00.1, 16.1-01-15.1, 16.1-05-01, 16.1-06-02, 16.1-06-04, 16.1-07-07, 16.1-07-08, 16.1-12-02.2
FIRST ENGROSSMENT: 4.1-20-16, 4.1-20-18, 16.1-01-00.1, 16.1-01-15.1, 16.1-05-01, 16.1-06-02, 16.1-06-04, 16.1-07-07, 16.1-07-08, 16.1-12-02.2
Adopted by the Senate State and Local Government Committee: 4.1-20-16, 4.1-20-18, 16.1-01-00.1, 16.1-01-09, 16.1-01-15.1, 16.1-05-01, 16.1-06-02, 16.1-06-04, 16.1-07-07, 16.1-07-08, 16.1-12-02.2, 16.1-13-05