North Dakota: Government and Higher Education

The state is governed under its 1889 constitution, often amended. The legislature consists of 49 senators and 98 representatives. The governor is elected for a four-year term. North Dakota elects two U.S. senators and one representative; it has three electoral votes. The states two major parties are the Republican and the Democratic-Non Partisan League (DPL) parties; the latter was formed in 1956 when the state changed from a three- to two-party system. The DPL party dominated the state's Congressionral races from 1982-2008, but Republicans now hold the majority of statewide offices and the entire Congressional delegation.

The state's institutions of higher education include Jamestown College, at Jamestown; North Dakota State Univ., at Fargo; and the Univ. of North Dakota, at Grand Forks.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Present-day North Dakota
• The Nonpartisan League
• Immigration and Agrarian Discontent
• Early Settlers and the Sioux
• Native Americans and the Fur Traders
• Government and Higher Education
• Economy
• Geography
• Facts and Figures

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