Legislature Discusses Keeping Lawmakers Addresses Confidential

(KNOX) – Home addresses of North Dakota legislative candidates and public officials would be confidential records under a bill draft being developed by a legislative committee.

The bill would apply to a broad array of candidates and officials, from school board members to the governor, who could opt in to have their address treated as confidential information by government agencies.

The proposal is based on discussions over how to improve the security of legislators and other officials that have been ongoing since the shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers last June.

Senate Minority Leader Kathy Hogan, D-Fargo, suggested tabling the bill draft until the next meeting of the interim Legislative Procedure and Arrangements Committee to give lawmakers more time to consider possible unintended consequences.

Some lawmakers expressed concerns that making residential addresses confidential could weaken oversight and inadvertently allow someone to win an election while living outside the district. House Minority Leader Zac Ista, D-Grand Forks, suggested looking at how other states enforce that residency requirement.

Committee members postponed action on the bill draft until the next meeting. The committee could advance the proposal to the 2027 legislative session. It would not affect the 2026 election cycle.