While perusing social media, I should know by now to not read the comments. But what’s the first thing I do? Yep, you guessed it — read the comments.
I read about rural folks and communities struggling. And when I read the comment, “You got what you voted for,” all that does is add insult to injury and further a divide. We could go on about how the American people have been lied to and how the American dream and American values are being held hostage by the ruling class, but I digress.
Now hear me out…Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to say you got what you didn’t vote for?
According to the North Dakota Secretary of State website close to 21% of eligible North Dakotans cast their ballots during the 2026 Primary Election. (Granted, North Dakota has a history of weak turnout for primaries, all depending on the issues on the ballot and how competitive the races are. ) Of those votes, 59% were cast on Election Day and 41% were cast as early or absentee votes. This was all reported on election night.
According to the same website, 26 out of 53 North Dakota counties have one polling area per county on election day, which is wild to think about. That’s slightly over half of the counties in North Dakota. Sure there’s early voting and absentee voting, but there’s just something about voting in person. There’s a little excitement in the air, and it’s a chance to visit — which is important everywhere, but it’s an event in a rural community. And there’s just a certain level of satisfaction in just showing up.
I happen to live in one of these single poll counties, so let’s put this into perspective in terms of accessibility. You have to drive to a neighboring county just to get an ID or to even renew your drivers license, if you don’t have the necessary materials to do it online.
The Logan County courthouse in Napoleon is the lone polling location in our county. Lehr to Napoleon is approximately 35 miles one way: well, 31 in our case. Out of the four incorporated communities in our county, Fredonia is farthest away from the polling site, approximately 45 minutes one way from the courthouse. Odds are, if you live in a town outside of Napoleon, you’re putting on over 60 miles roundtrip to cast that ballot. Though, one has to give credit where credit is due, we had a 47% voter turnout, which was actually one of the higher voter turnouts in the state.
To be fair, we also have to drive close to 30 miles round trip to buy our basic groceries where I live. Accessibility in rural areas is a hot topic in multiple conversations.
According to the North Dakota Monitor, Cass County might have led the charge on early in-person voting, but had a 19% voter participation rate. Come on, Cass County! Just think about the poor kids in Fredonia who put on 90 miles to cast their ballot. Just in case you’re curious, according to the ND Secretary of State website, there are 21 polling locations in Cass County alone. Admittedly, south central North Dakota doesn’t have the same numbers as the Red River Valley, but it’s certainly food for thought.
If you have any questions about where to vote, how to vote, if you’re unsure of what to bring so you can vote, or even if you’d like to volunteer to become a poll worker, the North Dakota Secretary of State website (sos.nd.gov/elections/voter) is an excellent resource.
Wait… not everyone here is a North Dakotan? Check out the Minnesota Secretary of State website at sos.mn.gov/elections-voting/election-day-voting.
Now remember kids, if you don’t vote, you can’t kvetch. Be sure to get that mail-in ballot to the post office as soon as possible and get all of your odd ducks in a row to make sure you can vote and help change the world November 3.
