Voter Registration Name Change in North Dakota

North Dakota is the only state with no voter registration, so there is no voter record to update. You bring a valid ID to vote. If your driver's license still shows your old name, update it in person at an NDDOT driver license site with certified documents.

Under the National Voter Registration Act ("motor voter"), updating your license at the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) usually offers to update your voter registration at the same time. Say yes and you may not need a separate step at all.

One warning: don't assume it worked. Confirmation can lag by weeks, and a mismatch between your ID and the poll book is exactly the kind of surprise you don't want on election day. Verify on the official North Dakota page a couple of weeks after your DMV visit.

North Dakota is the only U.S. state with no voter registration. There is no registration or name-update deadline; voters just need a valid, current form of ID (showing current legal name/address) when voting, and must have resided in ND for at least 30 days before Election Day. The law: N.D.C.C. § 16.1-01-05.1. Update well ahead of any upcoming election so your registration reflects your new name at the polls.

If an election is close and you've missed the update window, call your county election office. In many places you can still vote under your former name with your current registration, and some states offer same-day corrections. The rules vary, so ask before you skip voting.

• Your North Dakota driver's license or state ID (ideally already showing your new name)
• Your current residential address
• The last four digits of your Social Security number (some forms)

There is no fee to update voter registration in any state. This step is also a good prompt to update your name with your county property records and jury-duty notices, which pull from the same rolls.