North Dakota HB 1260 will be heard in the House Government & Veterans Affairs Committee on January 29, at 8 a.m., Thursday. This is the bill that deletes the minimum vote turnout needed in a partisan primary before that party can nominate candidates. In North Dakota, all qualified parties nominate by primary. North Dakota has an open primary, so any voter is free to choose any party’s primary ballot. However, unless between 10% and 15% of all the primary voters choose any particular party’s primary ballot, that party can’t nominate any legislative candidates.

HB 1260 is sponsored by Rep. Corey Mock (D-Grand Forks) and is co-sponsored by Representatives Rick C. Becker (R-Bismarck), Dan Ruby (R-Minot), Blair Thoreson (R-Fargo), and Nathan Toman (R-Mandan). North Dakota is the only state that still has a minimum vote test for parties to be able to use their primaries. A similar law in Minnesota was invalidated in 2004 by the Minnesota Supreme Court, in a case filed by the Independence Party.