Administrative decisions for the county are not made by full-time employees of the county, but by an elected governing board of three or five Commissioners. They serve as the elected ruling body of the county government structure and typically meet once to twice a month as determined by the commission. They are responsible for the county budget, county road department, social service administration and many other county concerns. Commissioners in North Dakota can be elected at-large or in commissioner districts, depending upon the county.
Each county officer must be, at the time of election, a qualified elector in the jurisdiction in which the candidate is to serve. Each county commissioner must be a qualified voter of the jurisdiction from which the commissioner is chosen at the time of the election. Some exceptions may apply depending on the form of county government. NDCC SS 11-10-04
Filing Requirements
To appear on the ballot, a candidate must file a Petition. The forms are available from either the Secretary of State or the County Auditor. Petitions for regular county offices must contain signatures of not less than 2% of the votes cast for the same office in the last General Election; however no more than 300 signatures are required.