Michael Howe (politician)

In January 2022, Howe declared his candidacy for North Dakota secretary of state in that years midterm elections^[6] as the incumbent secretary, Alvin Jaeger, opted to retire after seven terms in office.^[7] Howe defeated rancher Marvin Lepp in the republican primary and went on to beat university administrator and Democratic-NPL nominee Jeffrey Powell and independent candidate Charles Tuttle in the general election with over 60% of the vote.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Howe's office has launched numerous efforts to get easier access for elections to new U.S. citizens.^[12]

In September 2023, Howe defended a ban on ballot measures led by individuals and groups from outside of North Dakota, which was primarily for a measure that would've set term limits for congressional members in the state.^[13]

In November 2023, Howe and North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley appealed a ruling by district judge Peter Welte that forced the state to redraw its legislative districts ahead of the 2024 elections that forced the state to give the Spirit Lake Tribe and Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation their own specific district.^[14][15][16] The appeal was heard by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals,^[17] and the court ruled in favor of the state the next year, which under the ruling would mean only the United States Department of Justice could bring Voting Rights Act lawsuits, which would negate the lawsuit by the NAACP that forced the new districts in North Dakota.^[18][19] However, the United States Supreme Court paused the ruling in 2025 and as of July is pending review by the court.^{[20][21][22][23][24][25]}

In May 2024, Howe was critical of a bill in congress that would have tightened ID checking for voting to protect against illegal immigrants and noncitizens from voting, stating that the bill would force North Dakota into doing voter registration and that the state already has protections against it.^[26]

Howe's wife, Katie Ralston Howe, is the Former Miss North Dakota^[27] and served as Governor Doug Burgum's Workforce Development director. She has continued to hold the position into the gubernatorial term of Kelly Armstrong.^[28][29]