Redistricting in North Dakota
Welcome to Redistricting in North Dakota! We designed this toolkit to walk you through redistricting - what it is, why it's important, and how it works in North Dakota.
In most other states, there is redistricting for congressional districts, but North Dakota doesn't have enough people to have multiple districts. So here, we'll focus solely on our state legislature.
What Is Redistricting?
Voters select candidates on their ballot based on where they live. If you live in Williston, you vote for candidates for the Williston Park Board. You don't vote for Minot Park Board candidates. You vote to decide who will represent you on the Park Board in your city or town.
North Dakota's state legislature has 47 districts, and each district has 1 senator and 2 representatives. Lawmakers are selected by voters in those districts to represent them at the Capitol to set our state laws and budget. We don't have just one statewide district where everyone decides on our 141 state lawmakers. There are different needs across the state, and we want representatives from each area.
How do we set the 47 districts to elect our state legislators? Redistricting!
Districts Are Based on Population
How many people are in each district is key to redistricting. That's why these boundary lines are redrawn after each US Census every 10 years. Districts should have about an equal number of people so they have equal representation.
If one district had 10 people in it and another had 1,000 in it, those in the smaller district would have a bigger influence in our state legislature. That's why it's important to count the number of people every 10 years in the US Census, then re-draw those districts to have about the same number of people.
How many people are in each ND Legislative District? About 16,000.
3 Keys to Drawing ND Districts
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Compactness: Boundaries are drawn closely and neatly packed together, and oddly-shaped districts are minimized.
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Contiguity: All parts of the district must be connected to form a single shape.
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Equal Population: Each district must have about the same number of people.
Communities of Interest: The three keys above are in our state law, but there's a key principle for redistricting that the League supports called "Communities of Interest," which are areas defined by shared socio-economic, ethnic, geographic, economic or other interests. District lines that divide up a community of interest should be avoided if possible.
North Dakota Redistricting Overview
Our state legislature is in charge of redistricting. After the US Census every 10 years, they form a Legislative Redistricting Committee that meets several times to create a redistricting plan for our state legislative districts. These meetings are where citizens can give public comment in the process.
When the committee approves a plan, the ND Legislature calls a special session and votes to adopt that plan. The Governor signs it, and the plan is in place for the next 10 years, unless challenged in the courts and struck down. If the Governor vetoes it, the Legislature can override it with a 2/3 majority vote.
You can get involved in the next redistricting cycle in 2031. You can follow the process and give public comment on the districts being proposed. You can also contact the legislators on the redistricting committee when it's formed.
Bonus Prep: You can get comfortable with free online districting tools, like Dave's Redistricting and Districtr.
What To Watch For
Here are a few things you can watch for during the next redistricting cycle:
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Is the Legislative Redistricting Committee holding public meetings across the state to get input on the redistricting process?
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Are any districts being drawn to protect lawmakers in office, so they can get re-elected in that district?
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Are communities of interest, like a rural town or a city neighborhood, maintained as best as possible without a district line running through it?
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What are North Dakota tribal leaders saying about the district lines?
Below is a more detailed outline of the redistricting process, so you know how and when to take action.
ND Redistricting in Detail
Our state legislature is in charge of creating a redistricting plan after every US Census. We'll walk you through the last redistricting cycle in 2021 so you get an idea of how it works, even though the process looks a bit different every time.
-- October 2020 --
2020 US CENSUS COMPLETE
North Dakota's population is counted at 779,094, marking a record high. ND grew by over 100,000 people since the 2010 Census.
-- April 2021 --
LEGISLATURE GETS READY
ND lawmakers pass a bill (HB 1397) outlining how they will set up the Redistricting Committee and the timeline for creating a redistricting plan.
-- July 2021 --
FIRST COMMITTEE MEETING
The 16 members of the Redistricting Committee meet to receive training on redistricting.
Remember: Our state lawmakers are citizens and not experts on redistricting, so they need training.
-- August 2021 --
SECOND COMMITTEE MEETING
The committee meets to receive more training, a demonstration of the mapping software, and a presentation on the US Census data collected the year before in 2020.
Remember: The Legislature draws the districts with roughly the same population in each of the 47 districts.
-- Early September 2021 --
PUBLIC COMMENT OPENS
The committee opens public comment in their September meeting and discusses redistricting across the state. Three lawmakers bring forward redistricting maps they worked on.
Key: The committee has lawmakers from across North Dakota so they can work on redistricting in their area of the state.
-- End of September 2021 --
COMMITTEE APPROVES A MAP
Over four days in September, the committee meets for more discussion, reviews proposed redistricting plans, and takes public comment. On September 29, the committee approves the final proposed map.
Key: It's important that citizens watch and understand the redistricting process. When the Legislature draws its own map, they have incentive to protect their own re-election prospects.
-- November 2021 --
REDISTRICTING PLAN ADOPTED
The North Dakota Legislature holds a special legislative session in November 2021 and approves the redistricting plan. Governor Burgum signs it into law.
-- February 2022 to Today --
MAP CHALLENGED
Since then, the map has been challenged by the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, the Spirit Lake Tribe, and individual voters under the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
A new court-ordered map was put into place in January 2024, yet the court case is still ongoing. Stay updated with the Native American Right Fund's resource page.
Voting Rights Act in North Dakota
To comply with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, voting district lines should be drawn to ensure that voters of color don't have their votes diluted, meaning they have an equal chance of electing candidates of their choice.
Since Native Americans are the only racial minority in North Dakota of a substantial size, this applies only to them in North Dakota.
The League's Work on Redistricting
In 2019, the League launched the People Powered Fair Maps program to advocate for the creation of equitable, accurate maps in all 50 states and DC and to educate about redistricting and increase public engagement in the 2021 map drawing process.
People Powered Fair Maps focused on:
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Ensuring equity and transparency in the map-drawing process.
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Advocating for independent redistricting commissions and the integrity of existing commissions.
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Pushing for restoration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
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Monitoring and protecting the “free and fair” clause in state constitutions.
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Increasing education and public engagement in the community districting process.
Redistricting FAQ
What is redistricting?
Redistricting is the process by which the legislature or other government body redraws the lines and boundaries of electoral districts.
Why is redistricting important?
How and where the district lines are drawn will determine how strong a voice each voter or each group of voters has in elections. It also affects how strong a voice each has when lobbying for or against current or potential laws or budget items.
Why is it important to finalize ND's legislative redistricting?
North Dakota voters head to the polls each even numbered year to elect half of the seats in the legislature. The maps need to be final so voters know which district they will be voting in and legislative candidates know when to run for office.
How can I get involved?
It’s important that elected officials listen to the public, and not just to special interests. So being a part of the process to draw fair districts is crucial for your community. When citizens are left out of the process, it is far more likely that politicians will see that lines get drawn so they can choose their voters, rather than voters being able to choose their elected officials.
Take Action:
1) Get to know the boundary lines of your legislative district, so you're ready to give public comment during the next redistricting cycle.
2) Review the resources below to get more comfortable with redistricting, especially the free mapping tools.
3) When the districts are redrawn in 2031, you can watch, comment, and push for more transparency, as needed. The Legislative Redistricting Committee may need encouragement by the public to schedule meetings across the state.
North Dakota Resources
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North Dakota Quick Guide to the Redistricting Process
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Brief History of Redistricting in ND
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State Law Governing Redistricting:
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2021 ND Redistricting Committee
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2023 ND Redistricting Committee (formed after the 2021 map was challenged)
National Resources
All About Redistricting: one-stop shop for info about the statewide redistricting process.
American Redistricting Project: state-based profiles on the redistricting process. A true treasure trove of information.
iCivics: digital lesson for students or adults on how Redistricting works at the national level.
League of Women Voters: redistricting and gerrymandering explained. Helpful resource: redistricting terms.
National Council for State Legislatures: resources for state legislatures and staff for redistricting and the US Census.
Prisoner Gerrymandering Project: an effort to end the practice of counting incarcerated individuals as residents of the correctional facilities where they are held, rather than their home addresses, when drawing electoral district lines.
Redistricting Online: a nonpartisan, knowledge hub for all things redistricting.
Representable: allows people to draw Communities of Interest and share information about the interests and needs in those communities.
Free online tools to create your own maps:
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Redistricting Data Hub (ND mapping data)