Gov. Burgum Adopts Rules for Tribal Voter Identification

A public hearing and public comment period will be held.

BISMARCK, N.D.–Governor Doug Burgum officially adopted Secretary of State Al Jaeger’s emergency rules related to tribal ID’s for Native American voters on Wednesday.

The new rules will allow the state to incorporate the use of tribal ID’s for Native American voters into the statewide electronic pollbook project that was implemented in 2019.

The rules address the documentation that constitutes a tribal ID, data sharing between tribal offices and the Secretary of State, a form to provide supplemental documentation to a tribal member and an expedited method for ballots to be verified by a tribe to be included in the final vote.

Secretary of State Al Jaeger said, “This emergency rulemaking will propel us forward in making voting accessible to every resident of our state who is qualified to vote.”

Governor Doug Burgum stated, “We are committed to strengthening our government-to-government relationships with North Dakota’s tribal nations through understanding and mutual respect.”

The Chairmen of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Tribe made statements thanking the Governor and Secretary of State for implementing the rules saying, “The Nations First People have historically earned this Constitutional Right and Will be heard.”

A public hearing and public comment period will be held, and the final ruling will be made at the next Administrative Rules Committee.