House bill would bundle election “cleanup” changes, bar third‑party administration and repeal city voter‑registration option

Representative Scott Lausser, sponsor: "For the record, Representative Scott Lausser, District 5 in Minot," opened the hearing on House Bill 1165 by describing the measure as a compilation of cleanup items in North Dakota election law.

Erica White, state election director in the Office of the Secretary of State, told the committee the bill is intended to "create uniformity in election administration code" and outlined provisions ranging from contests for soil conservation districts to a definition of "complete residential address," ballot printing and uniform absentee envelopes, and changes to how election judges can be removed.

The bill would: clarify what constitutes a complete residential address for petition signatures; remove a statutory duty for the Secretary of State to certify soil‑conservation contests that county auditors currently handle; prohibit state and political subdivisions from contracting with a third party to administer elections (with a proposed amendment to preserve ordinary vendor relationships such as printers and mailers); allow county auditors additional authority to remove election judges for misconduct without waiting for affidavits; standardize ballot printing by designating a single printing vendor for statewide ballots; add descriptive language clarifying the election official initials box on ballots; align deadlines for certified write‑in candidates with other candidacy deadlines; and repeal a provision that allows cities to register voters (cited as section 40‑21‑10 / 402110 in testimony).

White said the change on private contractors arose after a school district asked in 2024 whether it could contract with an out‑of‑state private entity to conduct its election. She testified, "We believe that the only North Dakota election officials should be conducting elections in North Dakota," and offered a committee amendment to narrow the prohibition so counties may continue to use normal vendors such as printers and programmers.

Secretary of State Michael Howe described North Dakota's voter‑ID based system and told the committee, "To vote in North Dakota, you have to have a North Dakota ID," listing acceptable forms of state ID. He said the state's central voter file and ID system provide many of the protections the bill's sponsors cited.

Opposition focused narrowly on the repeal of the city voter‑registration statute. Stephanie Ingebretsen, testifying for the North Dakota League of Cities, asked the committee not to repeal the city registration provision because one city, Medora, uses the authority to manage voter residency in its local elections. "The city of Medora currently registers voters," she said, and described Medora's seasonal population and officials' desire to verify residency for city elections.

Committee members pressed both sides on details. Representatives asked whether the printer language refers to a physical machine or to a contracted print vendor; White and other witnesses said the term in practice means a contract vendor that prints ballots. White also discussed changing deadlines for certified write‑in candidates and said the office would accept a consistent timeline chosen by the committee.

The committee closed the hearing after questioning but took no formal vote during the transcripted portion. Witnesses and committee members agreed the measure is mostly technical; the League of Cities asked the committee to retain the city registration statute for Medora or to narrow the repeal. The Secretary of State's office pledged to work with the committee on the printer/vendor language and the proposed amendment to the third‑party prohibition.

Ending: The hearing record shows detailed technical discussion on multiple sections of HB1165 and at least one targeted objection to the repeal of the city‑registration statute; no final committee action on the bill is recorded in the transcript.