Constitutional carry (residents only, 2017; expanded 2023). No AWB, no mag limit, strong preemption. Castle doctrine but duty-to-retreat in public is a deduction. Suppressors legal. No waiting period, no red-flag.

Medical cannabis (Measure 5, 2016). Decriminalized first-offense possession (HB 1050, 2019). Recreational measures failed in 2018, 2022, 2024. No psychedelic reform.

State minimum wage $7.25/hr (state matches federal). MIT living wage for 1 adult: $14.97/hr. Ratio 0.48 — minimum-wage workers earn 48% of what's needed to live there alone.

Low tax burden (oil revenue subsidizes services), strong NAEP scores, low uninsured rate, decent infrastructure. Resource-funded services — high value, though structurally dependent on commodities.

IJ grades ND B (HB 1286, 2019 - conviction required, equitable-sharing limits). No QI reform. No-knock allowed. No body cam mandate. No comprehensive privacy law. Cooperates with ICE.

No-excuse mail voting. Early voting 15+ days. ND has no voter registration (positive). Strict photo ID with residential street address requirement (challenged for tribal voter impact). Felons vote after release. Republican-drawn maps with moderate bias; Native American VRA cases. ID law remains controversial barrier.

Medicaid expansion adopted 2014. Total abortion ban (struck by state court 2024 but legislature working to reinstate). Trans youth gender-affirming care ban. Severe rural and tribal healthcare gaps. Provider shortages acute.

No qualified immunity reform. No statewide BWC mandate. BWC footage in private places exempt from open records. Personnel records confidential. ND POST decertification. No no-knock ban. No necessity standard. Local prosecution. No statewide chokehold ban.

Total abortion ban. Gender-affirming care criminalized for minors (felony). No statewide LGBTQ+ protections. RFRA. Anti-trans bathroom/sports/pronoun laws. No conversion therapy ban. Active Christian-nationalist legislative trend. Bible literacy authorized.

Right-to-work state (constitutional). No paid family leave. No paid sick leave. Federal OSHA only. Prevailing wage prohibited. Weak wage theft enforcement. Highest fatal occupational injury rate in nation (extraction). No heat, domestic worker, or scheduling protections.