​Caucus versus Primary in North Dakota

Next month, voters in North Dakota will have the opportunity to go to the polls twice if they want to vote for the Presidential nominees on the Democratic ticket in the caucus and also have their voice heard in the party preferences of State races, Congressional races, Legislative races as well as city election in Fargo which will happen on June 14 for the primary. North Dakota Republicans picked their preference for President at their state party convention in March. What is the difference between the two and what do you need to do to be able to vote at both? HPR caught up with Robert Haider, executive director of the ND Democratic-NPL party, which will run the caucus on June 7 and have candidates on the ballot in the primary on June 14.

HPR: If someone wants to participate in the caucuses on June 7th, what do they need to do?

Robert Haider: They need to show up to the respective district location prior to 7:00 o’clock.

HPR: Do they have to register?

RH: Yes, they have to sign in. They have to fill out their information and then include their signature to attest that they have been a democrat in the past or will vote as a member of the Democratic-NPL this year.

HPR: And they don’t have to do any of that in advance, they can do it the day of?

RH: Right, they can do it in advance or they can do it the day of.

HPR: And because it’s run by the party, they don’t need an ID to vote as well?

RH: That’s correct.

HPR: The best place to find the location where you vote is on your website?

RH: Yes at:http://demnpl.com/caucus

HPR: The following week on June 14, we have the primary in North Dakota. The caucus will just be about the Presidential race?

RH: Yes.

HPR: For folks that are unfamiliar with a caucus, how does it work? What should people expect? Is it a discussion or is it just everybody votes and you are out?

RH: We don’t expect many of the districts to go longer than an hour, I would say that’s probably on the long end. Folks will go in, they’ll call for caucuses. The caucus chair will call to see if anybody has a preference. So they’ll call and they will physically get into groups based on which candidate or issue they are supporting.

HPR: How is the caucus different than the primary? It is the primary that you need to have your ID, correct?

RH: The caucus is run by the party, it’s a party institution whereas the primary is run by the state so the Democratic party at the national level and state level came up with rules that govern the caucus and then the primary is run through the Secretary of State’s office. So they are completely separate.

HPR: The primary will be voting on preferences for governor, statewide candidates, congress, that type of thing. Anything else?

RH: Yep and then Legislative races and then there are the local races as well. If a particular jurisdiction has races then those are on June 14as well for the primary.

HPR: The other thing with the primary is the concern over Voter ID. I know that’s a law that you are not a fan of. Is there anything you can tell people? Students I know are a lot of times affected by that, stuff that they need to be aware of so that they are able to vote in the primary?

RH: The address on someone’s identification has to be current for 30 days of election day. Folks can also go on the DOT website and update their information there. Then just be sure to have their identification with them when they go to their polling location.

HPR: So they need to have their current ID with their current address and they had to have been there for 30 days?

RH: That is correct.

HPR: If anyone has any concerns about their ability to vote in the primary or whether or not their ID will allow them to vote, should they contact the Secretary of State?

RH: Yes or the city or county auditor.

HPR: I know we’ve had instances in the past since this law has passed where people have gone to vote and then not been able to on the actual election day.

RH: We’ve also had examples of the Secretary of State’s office and Al Jaeger encouraging to technically commit voter fraud by voting in a location where they no longer live, in a location that is reflected by their ID so he likes to claim that voting is easy as pie but that’s clearly not the case.

HPR: Finally, it’s obvious the turnout is always better in the general election in November versus primary or caucus elections. Why is it important for people to vote in the caucuses and primaries?

RH: On the caucus side, we’re on the second to last day of determining our party’s nominee for President. It’s important to get out and make your voice heard and participate in the process and get involved with the Democratic-NPL party. If folks want to go the National Convention to be a delegate, this is the first step in that process.

As far as the primary goes on June 14, a lot of local races are going to be determined. A lot of the policies that impact our lives on a day to day basis are written at the local level. It’s maybe more appealing to support a Presidential candidate and to get involved but the policies that are enacted that really impact us are at the local and state level. So it’s important to get out and vote for candidates that support the positions of the voters.

IF YOU GO:

Go to http://demnpl.com/caucus/ to find out the location of your caucus on June 7and http://vote.nd.gov to find out the location of where you vote for the primary on June 14and any questions you may have on the Voter ID law and what you need to do to be able to vote that day.