The Ballot Brief

Fargo, North Dakota sample ballot 2026

Fargo voters (Cass County, North Dakota) see Attorney General, Secretary of State, Agriculture Commissioner, Superintendent of Public Instruction plus 8 Cass County races on the November 3, 2026 ballot. Your U.S. House district and any precinct-level races depend on your street address.

We use AI to research and write election information. Errors are possible. Verify important details with official sources.

On every Fargo ballot

SheriffNonpartisan race · Jesse Jahner

Jesse Jahner

Nonpartisan

Jesse Jahner has served as Cass County Sheriff since taking office in 2019 and is seeking a third term, per his campaign site. He has worked for the Cass County Sheriff's Office since 1998, per InForum.

State's AttorneyNonpartisan race · Kim Hegvik

Kim Hegvik

Nonpartisan

Kim Hegvik has served as Cass County State's Attorney since taking her oath of office in December 2022, per the North Dakota Court System. She had worked in the Cass County State's Attorney's Office since 2006, including 16 years as an assistant state's attorney, per the North Dakota Court System. No campaign website was found as of September 20, 2026.

By address

These seats are elected by district; only the district covering your address is on your ballot.

Find your districts by address
North Dakota District Court, East Central Judicial District, Judgeship No. 1Nonpartisan race · Susan L. Bailey

Susan L. Bailey

NonpartisanIncumbent

Susan L. Bailey is a sitting judge of the East Central Judicial District, elected to the bench in 2014, per the North Dakota Court System. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.

North Dakota District Court, East Central Judicial District, Judgeship No. 5Nonpartisan race · Reid A. Brady

Reid A. Brady

NonpartisanIncumbent

Reid A. Brady is a sitting judge of the East Central Judicial District, elected to the bench in 2020, per the North Dakota Court System. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.

North Dakota District Court, East Central Judicial District, Judgeship No. 7Nonpartisan race · Wade L. Webb

Wade L. Webb

NonpartisanIncumbent

Wade L. Webb is a sitting judge of the East Central Judicial District, appointed to the bench in 2003, per the North Dakota Court System. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.

North Dakota District Court, East Central Judicial District, Judgeship No. 9Nonpartisan race · Stephannie N. Stiel

Stephannie N. Stiel

NonpartisanIncumbent

Stephannie N. Stiel is a sitting judge of the East Central Judicial District, appointed to the bench in 2018, per the North Dakota Court System. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.

North Dakota District Court, East Central Judicial District, Judgeship No. 10Nonpartisan race · Stephanie R. Hayden

Stephanie R. Hayden

NonpartisanIncumbent

Stephanie R. Hayden is a sitting judge of the East Central Judicial District, appointed to the bench in 2023, per the North Dakota Court System. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.

North Dakota District Court, East Central Judicial District, Judgeship No. 11Nonpartisan race · Cherie L. Clark

Cherie L. Clark

NonpartisanIncumbent

Cherie L. Clark is a sitting judge of the East Central Judicial District, appointed to the bench in 2017 (Jamestown), Appointed 2023 to Fargo, per the North Dakota Court System. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.

Full candidate profiles, priorities and campaign sites are on the Cass County page.

Statewide races

Attorney GeneralDrew Wrigley (R) · Tim Lamb (D)
Drew Wrigley

Drew Wrigley

RepublicanIncumbent

Top priorities

From other published sources

  • Enforce open-records and transparency laws, per the North Dakota Attorney General's office website
About Drew Wrigley

Drew Wrigley is North Dakota's incumbent attorney general and the Republican nominee for re-election in 2026. Twice the U.S. attorney for North Dakota and a former lieutenant governor, he was appointed attorney general in 2022 and won election that fall. His office has emphasized violent-crime and fentanyl enforcement, government transparency, and defending North Dakota law.

Tim Lamb

Democrat

Tim Lamb is the Democratic-NPL nominee for North Dakota attorney general, an attorney and retired Army officer who has run for several offices. He offers a Democratic alternative for the state's chief legal office. No 2026 campaign site was found as of October 15, 2026; facebook.com/timothy.c.lamb.7 is a Facebook page, which is not a campaign site.

Secretary of StateMichael Howe (R) · Ryan Braunberger (D)
Michael Howe

Michael Howe

RepublicanIncumbent

Top priorities

From the campaign site

  • Preserve and protect election integrity
  • Keep North Dakota the best place to start and grow a business
  • Modernize state filing and records services
About Michael Howe

Michael Howe is North Dakota's incumbent secretary of state and the Republican nominee for re-election in 2026. A former state representative, he is the state's 15th secretary of state, and his campaign emphasizes election integrity and keeping North Dakota an easy place to start and grow a business.

Ryan Braunberger

Democrat

Ryan Braunberger is the Democratic-NPL nominee for North Dakota secretary of state, the minority leader of the state Senate and an insurance agent from Fargo. He offers a Democratic-NPL alternative for the state's elections and business-services office. No 2026 campaign site was found as of October 15, 2026; facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576795122957 is a Facebook page, which is not a campaign site.

Agriculture CommissionerDoug Goehring (R) · Vern Thompson (D)
Doug Goehring

Doug Goehring

RepublicanIncumbent

Top priorities

From the campaign site

  • Protect North Dakota's agricultural producers
  • Strengthen food security and the farm economy
  • Defend farmers and ranchers from federal overreach
About Doug Goehring

Doug Goehring is North Dakota's incumbent agriculture commissioner and the Republican nominee for re-election in 2026. A 25-year farmer who has held the office since 2009, his campaign emphasizes protecting agricultural producers, food security, and North Dakota's farm economy.

Vern Thompson

Democrat

Top priorities

From the campaign site

  • Fight for farmers and ranchers in the current farm crisis
  • Put rural families and landowners ahead of corporate interests
  • Bring legislative and working-farm experience to the office
About Vern Thompson

Vern Thompson is the Democratic-NPL nominee for North Dakota agriculture commissioner, a farmer, truck driver, and former state Senate minority leader. His campaign argues farmers are paying more, earning less, and losing ground in the biggest farm crisis in 40 years, and pledges to put people ahead of the powerful.

Superintendent of Public InstructionNonpartisan race · Levi Bachmeier · Tracy Foss
Levi Bachmeier

Levi Bachmeier

NonpartisanIncumbent

Top priorities

From the campaign site

  • Set high standards and accountability in schools
  • Prepare students for careers and life after graduation
  • Bring a values-driven, common-sense approach to education
About Levi Bachmeier

Levi Bachmeier is North Dakota's incumbent superintendent of public instruction, running in a 2026 special election after his appointment to the nonpartisan office. A former coach and education official, his campaign emphasizes high standards, accountability, and preparing students to thrive.

Tracy Foss

Tracy Foss

Nonpartisan

Top priorities

From the campaign site

  • Give teachers and parents a stronger voice in education policy
  • Strengthen public schools across North Dakota
  • Bring classroom experience to the state's top education office
About Tracy Foss

Tracy Foss is a candidate for North Dakota superintendent of public instruction, a nonpartisan office, and a teacher and mother of three running in the 2026 special election. Her campaign theme is every voice heard, stronger schools ahead.

Tax CommissionerBrian Kroshus (R) · Mark Nelson (D)
Brian Kroshus

Brian Kroshus

RepublicanIncumbent

Brian Kroshus is North Dakota's incumbent tax commissioner and the Republican nominee for re-election in 2026, per North Dakota Monitor. Appointed to the office in January 2022 by Governor Doug Burgum and elected that year, he previously served five years as a North Dakota Public Service Commissioner, per the state Tax Department's official biography. He spent two decades in the private sector, including leadership roles with Lee Enterprises publications such as the Bismarck Tribune, and operates a cattle and grain farm in western North Dakota, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 20, 2026.

Mark Nelson

Democratic-NPL

Mark Nelson is the Democratic-NPL nominee for North Dakota tax commissioner, a retired farmer from near Rugby, per North Dakota Monitor. He is the brother of former state lawmaker Marvin Nelson and has previously run for the North Dakota House and Senate as a Democratic-NPL candidate, per North Dakota Monitor. No campaign website was found as of September 18, 2026.

Public Service CommissionerSheri Haugen-Hoffart (R) · John M Pederson (D)
Sheri Haugen-Hoffart

Sheri Haugen-Hoffart

RepublicanIncumbent

Top priorities

From the campaign site

  • Keep North Dakota's electricity costs among the lowest in the nation
  • Protect energy infrastructure from foreign threats
  • Keep the state's energy industry strong and reliable
About Sheri Haugen-Hoffart

Sheri Haugen-Hoffart is the incumbent North Dakota Public Service Commissioner and the Republican nominee for a full six-year term in 2026, per the Commission's official website. She was appointed to the Commission in February 2022 by Governor Doug Burgum and confirmed by voters that November, per the same source. Her campaign site emphasizes keeping electricity costs low, protecting energy infrastructure, and government accountability.

John M Pederson

Democratic-NPL

John M Pederson is the Democratic-NPL nominee for North Dakota Public Service Commissioner's six-year term, a history and economics professor at Mayville State University since 1998, per North Dakota Monitor. He previously ran for state Senate in District 20 as a Democratic-NPL candidate, per North Dakota Monitor. No campaign website was found as of September 18, 2026.

Public Service Commissioner (Unexpired 2-Year Term)Jill Kringstad (R) · Scot Kelsh (D)
Jill Kringstad

Jill Kringstad

RepublicanIncumbent

Top priorities

From the campaign site

  • Support affordable, reliable energy for families, farms, and businesses
  • Protect consumers through fair rates and accurate billing
  • Promote transparent, accountable regulation
About Jill Kringstad

Jill Kringstad is the incumbent North Dakota Public Service Commissioner and the Republican nominee for the seat's unexpired two-year term in 2026, per the Commission's official website. She was appointed to the Commission in January 2025 by Governor Kelly Armstrong to fill the seat vacated when Julie Fedorchak won North Dakota's U.S. House seat, per the same source. Her campaign site emphasizes affordable and reliable energy, consumer protection, and transparent regulation.

Scot Kelsh

Democratic-NPL

Top priorities

From the campaign site

  • Supporting responsible data center development that does not raise costs for ratepayers
  • Protecting landowners from eminent domain overreach
About Scot Kelsh

Scot Kelsh is a firefighter with IAFF Local 642 and a tutor and special education behavior technician with Fargo Public Schools, according to his campaign site. He previously represented District 11 in Fargo in the North Dakota House of Representatives from 1996 to 2014, serving on the Energy Development and Transmission, Natural Resources, and Taxation and Finance Committees, per the site.

Justice of The Supreme CourtNonpartisan race · Ariston E Johnson · Jerod Tufte

Ariston E Johnson

Nonpartisan

Top priorities

From the campaign site

  • Apply judicial restraint and humility in interpreting the law
  • Respect the roles of the legislative and executive branches
  • Bring diverse legal experience to the Supreme Court
About Ariston E Johnson

Ariston E Johnson is a nonpartisan candidate for North Dakota Supreme Court justice, an attorney with nearly 20 years of legal practice in North Dakota and neighboring states, per his campaign site. A fourth-generation North Dakotan born in Watford City, he has practiced law in Bismarck and Watford City and served as McKenzie County assistant state's attorney, per his campaign site.

Jerod Tufte

Jerod Tufte

NonpartisanIncumbent

Jerod Tufte is a justice of the North Dakota Supreme Court, serving since January 2017, per the campaign site. Per the campaign site, he earned a computer engineering degree from Case Western Reserve University and a law degree from Arizona State University, clerked on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and served as Kidder County State's Attorney, legal counsel to Governor Jack Dalrymple, and a district court judge before joining the Supreme Court.

Justice of The Supreme Court (Unexpired Term)Nonpartisan race · Douglas A Bahr
Douglas A Bahr

Douglas A Bahr

NonpartisanIncumbent

Douglas A Bahr is the incumbent justice of the North Dakota Supreme Court, appointed in February 2023 and unopposed on the November 2026 general election ballot, per the court's official biography and the Secretary of State's certified candidate list. He previously served as a district judge in the South Central Judicial District and spent 25 years with the North Dakota Attorney General's office, rising to solicitor general, per the court's official biography. No campaign website was found as of September 18, 2026.

North Dakota voters also decide 2 statewide ballot measures.

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Voting info and more

Voting info and more

City boundaries and ZIP codes from the U.S. Census Bureau (2024 Gazetteer, 2020 ZCTA relationships). Candidate fields follow official election office filings; confirm with the North Dakota election office before voting.