EAdIElection Administration Index
How professionally and independently is election administration codified?
Dimensions
Accountability
0.0% · 0/2| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| COI.1Conflict-of-interest disclosureAre commissioners and senior election staff required by statute to disclose financial interests (vendor relationships, party positions, candidate connections) publicly? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-19 |
| COI.2Judicial review of administrative decisionsIs the right to seek judicial review of election-authority decisions codified, with standing, timeline, and venue defined? | 0/10.0% | § 16.1-13-08.1 codifies special-election filling-of-vacancy procedure. Judicial review of administrative decisions exists generally under NDCC 28-32 (Administrative Agencies Practice Act, separate title) and § 16.1-16 (Recounts/Contests). Not directly codified in the FTS-surfaced sections. | § view source 2026-05-19 |
Commission
60.0% · 3/5| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| COMM.1Statutory grounding of commissionIs the election commission's existence and core mandate set in the constitution (rather than statute alone, regulation, or executive order)? | 1/250.0% | § 16.1-15-20 codifies that the county canvassing board may subpoena members of the election board — statutory powers of the canvassing body. § 16.1-15-04 codifies canvass-report procedure. § 16.1-05-04 codifies election-board duties. § 16.1-15-15 / § 16.1-15-33 (not in FTS top-5 for this datapoint) codify county and state canvassing-board statutory creation. Comprehensive multi-tier commission grounding codified. | § view source 2026-05-19 |
| COMM.2Multi-branch appointmentAre commission members appointed by multiple branches (legislature, judiciary, executive) such that no single branch unilaterally controls composition? | 1/1100.0% | § 16.1-15-33 codifies state canvassing-board membership: Supreme Court clerk, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, and chairs (or designees) of the two political parties with highest vote for governor. Genuine multi-branch + bipartisan composition (judiciary + executive + parties). § 16.1-15-15 codifies parallel for county canvassing board. “The clerk of the supreme court, the secretary of state, the state treasurer, and the chairman, or chairman's designee, of the state committee of the two political parties which cast the highest vote for governor at the last general election at which a governor was elected shall constitute the state canvassing board.” | § view source 2026-05-19 |
| COMM.3Term protectionAre commissioner terms defined in statute with fixed length, staggered cycles, and statutory grounds for removal? | 0/10.0% | § 16.1-15-16 codifies qualifications of canvassing-board members + replacement procedure + quorum. § 16.1-05-01 codifies election-board appointment. § 16.1-15-34 codifies canvass-board disqualification for familial conflict. Term protection for the canvassing board's duration codified though specific 'fixed term' is not — canvassing boards serve per-election. | § view source 2026-05-19 |
| COMM.4Political-balance requirementIs the commission's composition required by statute to be politically balanced (party-balanced, supermajority-confirmation, or independent appointment by judiciary)? | 1/1100.0% | § 16.1-15-15 codifies county canvassing-board composition with bipartisan representation: 'both political parties must be represented.' § 16.1-15-33 codifies state-board parallel. § 16.1-05-04 codifies bipartisan election-board duties. Political-balance requirement explicitly codified. “The county canvassing board must be composed of the county recorder, county auditor, chairman of the board of county commissioners, and a representative of each of the two political parties that received the highest number of votes cast for governor at the most recent general election at which a governor was elected.” | § view source 2026-05-19 |
Funding
50.0% · 2/4| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| FUND.1Independent funding lineIs the election authority's budget a separate statutory line item (not subject to mid-cycle reallocation by the executive branch alone)? | 0/10.0% | No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: § 16.1-13-05 codifies notice-of-election publication with sample ballot. § 16.1-08.1-02.3 codifies campaign-finance disclosures. State Election Board funding flows from general state appropriations; independent funding line not codified. | § view source 2026-05-19 |
| FUND.2Multi-year funding cycleAre election infrastructure budgets set on a multi-year cycle (avoiding annual political renegotiation of election-administration money)? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-19 |
| FUND.3Foreign funding prohibitionIs foreign-source funding of the election authority (and election administration vendors, where applicable) prohibited by statute? | 2/2100.0% | § 16.1-08.1-03.15 explicitly codifies foreign-funding prohibition: 'A foreign national may not make or offer to make, directly or indirectly, a contribution or expenditure in connection with any election.' Subsection 2 prohibits solicitation. Subsection 3 defines 'foreign national' broadly (foreign government, foreign political party, foreign corporation, foreign individual, non-resident non-citizen). Comprehensive foreign-funding prohibition. “A foreign national may not make or offer to make, directly or indirectly, a contribution or expenditure in connection with any election.” | § view source 2026-05-19 |
Staff Training
33.3% · 1/3| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| STAFF.1Career professional staffIs the election authority's career staff (professional employees, not political appointees) protected by civil-service or analogous merit-based statute? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-19 |
| STAFF.2Mandatory trainingIs training for election officials and poll workers required by statute, with content and frequency defined? | 1/1100.0% | § 16.1-05-03 codifies mandatory training: Secretary of State provides instruction manual; each county auditor conducts training sessions on election laws and procedures for election officials. 'Attendance at the session is mandatory for members of the election board and for poll clerks.' § 16.1-01-01(2)(a) codifies uniform training programs by SoS. Comprehensive mandatory training framework codified. “Before each primary and general election, each county auditor or the auditor's designated representative shall conduct training sessions on election laws and election procedures for election officials in the county” | § view source 2026-05-19 |
| STAFF.3Whistleblower protectionAre election-related whistleblower protections (for staff reporting irregularities) codified in statute? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-19 |
Vendor Oversight
66.7% · 2/3| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| CERT.1Certification process codifiedIs the voting-equipment certification process (criteria, evaluators, timeline, public-comment period) codified in statute or regulation? | 1/1100.0% | § 16.1-06-15 codifies mandatory pre-election testing of voting systems with sealed retention of testing materials. § 16.1-06-11 codifies that voting systems must be 'approved and certified for procurement and use in the state by the secretary of state.' § 16.1-15-09 codifies returns/audit of voting systems. § 16.1-15-02 codifies canvass-report procedure. Comprehensive certification framework codified. | § view source 2026-05-19 |
| CERT.2Recertification triggersAre recertification triggers (after material updates, after defects discovered, on a fixed schedule) codified? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-19 |
| CERT.3Decertification grounds & procedureAre the grounds for revoking certification, and the procedure for doing so, defined in statute? | 1/1100.0% | § 16.1-06-26 codifies Secretary of State authority to adopt rules for certifying AND decertifying voting systems — including any software, hardware, and firmware components. Rules may establish criteria, certification/decertification procedures, and define what constitutes a vote. Comprehensive decertification framework codified. “The secretary of state may adopt rules according to subsection 3 of section 16.1-01-01 for certifying and decertifying voting systems” | § view source 2026-05-19 |