A BILL for an Act to amend and reenact section 16.1-01-12 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to election offenses.

HB 1245 amends North Dakota's election offense laws to clarify and strengthen penalties for various voting and petition-related violations. It specifically prohibits paying individuals based on the number of signatures collected for election petitions (like initiatives or referendums), while allowing standard salaries not tied to signature counts. The bill also defines new offenses, such as signing petitions with false names, submitting petitions with fraudulent signatures, and obstructing voters at polling places. Violations can result in fines, misdemeanor charges, or felony convictions, with organizations facing business license revocation. This directly affects voters, election officials, petition circulators, and political organizations involved in ballot measure campaigns.