On March 18, the North Dakota Senate Government & Veterans Affairs Committee amended HB 1433, to provide for a way for a party to remain on the ballot in a mid-term year. The bill, as amended, lets a party remain on the ballot if it polls 5% for Secretary of State or Attorney General. Under current law, it doesn’t matter how many votes a party gets in a mid-term year; if it’s a new party, it gets removed from the ballot no matter how well it does. That’s because under the old law, a party must poll 5% for Governor or President to remain on the ballot, and those offices aren’t up in mid-term years.

In the past, North Dakota elected all its statewide state offices in presidential years, but starting in 2006, it elects half of them in midterm years, including Secretary of State and Attorney General.