North Dakota judicial elections, 2016
Two seats on North Dakota's state-level courts were up for nonpartisan election on November 8, 2016. A primary was held on June 14. The North Dakota Supreme Court seats on the 2016 ballot were held by Justice Dale Sandstrom and Justice Lisa Fair McEvers heading into the election.
The candidates running for Sandstrom's seat, Jerod Tufte and Robert V. Bolinske, Sr., were running for a full ten-year term. Justice McEvers, a 2013 appointee who was unopposed, ran to finish the remainder of her predecessor's unexpired term, which ends in December 2018.
In North Dakota, all candidates must stand in the primary election, even if there are only two for any given seat. Jerod Tufte and Robert V. Bolinske, Sr., running for Justice Dale Sandstrom's seat, and Justice Lisa Fair McEvers, running unopposed, all advanced through the June 14 primary to the November 8 general election.
General election candidates
Supreme Court
Dale Sandstrom's seat
- Dale Sandstrom did not run for re-election in 2016.
■ Jerod Tufte
■ Robert V. Bolinske, Sr.
Lisa McEvers' seat
■ Lisa Fair McEvers 
Election results
November 8 general election
| North Dakota Supreme Court 2016, Sandstrom's Seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Jerod Tufte |
60.69% | 166,229 |
| Robert V. Bolinske Sr. | 38.63% | 105,805 |
| Write-in votes | 0.68% | 1,851 |
| Total Votes (432 of 432 precincts reporting: 100%) | 273,885 | |
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State Official Results | ||
| North Dakota Supreme Court 2016, McEvers' Seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Lisa Fair McEvers Incumbent (unopposed) |
98.98% | 261,255 |
| Write-in votes | 1.02% | 2,700 |
| Total Votes (433 of 432 precincts reporting: 100%) | 263,955 | |
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State Official Results | ||
June 14 primary election
| North Dakota Supreme Court Primary, Dale Sandstrom's Seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Jerod Tufte |
55.03% | 54,107 |
| Robert V. Bolinske Sr. |
44.65% | 43,899 |
| Write-in votes | 0.32% | 311 |
| Total Votes | 98,317 | |
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State | ||
| North Dakota Supreme Court Primary, Lisa McEvers' Seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Lisa Fair McEvers Incumbent (unopposed) |
99.67% | 98,203 |
| Write-in votes | 0.33% | 330 |
| Total Votes | 98,533 | |
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State | ||
Selection
- See also: Judicial selection in North Dakota
North Dakota judicial elections are nonpartisan. All candidates, whether opposed or unopposed, participate in the primary and general elections. In the primary, the two candidates who receive the greatest number of votes advance to the general election. If only two candidates are running for a seat, they both compete in the primary and general elections.[1][2]
State profile
| Demographic data for North Dakota | ||
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 756,835 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 69,001 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 88.7% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 1.6% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.2% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 5.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 2.9% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 91.7% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 27.7% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $57,181 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 12.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in North Dakota. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
North Dakota voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, four are located in North Dakota, accounting for 1.94 percent of the total pivot counties.[3]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. North Dakota had three Retained Pivot Counties, 1.66 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More North Dakota coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in North Dakota
- United States congressional delegations from North Dakota
- Public policy in North Dakota
- Endorsers in North Dakota
- North Dakota fact checks
- More...
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'North Dakota court elections' OR 'North Dakota Supreme Court' OR 'North Dakota judicial election 2016'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ North Dakota Legislative Branch, "Chapter 16.1-11: Nominations for office - primary election," accessed April 26, 2014
- ↑ North Dakota Legislative Branch, "Chapter 16.1-13: General elections," accessed April 26, 2014
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of North Dakota • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of North Dakota
State courts:
North Dakota Supreme Court • North Dakota Court of Appeals • North Dakota District Courts • North Dakota Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in North Dakota • North Dakota judicial elections • Judicial selection in North Dakota