North Dakota had 128,000 voters cast ballots by 10 a.m. CT on Election Day, and the state’s 2026 General Election turnout stood at 21% by that point. The Office of the Secretary of State said the total includes absentee, mail, early voting and Election Day voting.
That kind of live turnout update is why people are checking Nd Election Results now: it gives the first hard read on how the day is unfolding before the votes are fully counted. The numbers also set the pace for the rest of the day, with additional turnout reports due at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., followed by unofficial election results at 8 p.m. CT on the Secretary of State’s Election Night Reporting website.
The 21% figure is the part that hangs in the air. It is useful, but it is not fully explained. The report does not say whether that share is running ahead of, behind or in line with previous North Dakota elections at the same hour, which leaves the morning snapshot without a clear benchmark. For now, it is a turnout total with no comparison point attached.
That gap is what makes the next reports matter. If the later turnout updates move the percentage sharply higher, the morning number becomes an early marker of stronger participation. If it barely changes, the 10 a.m. reading may end up looking like a modest start rather than a surge. Either way, the count now shifts from a single snapshot to a daylong test of how many voters in North Dakota keep showing up before the unofficial results go live at 8 p.m. CT.
