(KFYR) – Voting has already begun for some North Dakotans, but a case before the North Dakota Supreme Court involves challenging the candidacy of some primary winners.
The high court heard oral arguments Wednesday on whether paperwork errors should cost four Republican legislative candidates their spots on the ballot.
Three Republican figures are suing Secretary of State Michael Howe, asking justices to invalidate the candidates’ nominating petitions.
The petitioners claim Minot and Bismarck candidates Blaine DesLauriers, Tim Mihalick, and Steven Sauter had missing addresses filled in by third parties.
They also claim Terry Goerger, a candidate in Richland County, left out his political party.
All four won their June primaries.
One of the petitioners, Jeff Hoverson, lost the primary to Mihalick and DesLauriers, while Evans lost his primary to Goerger.
If the court rules in their favor, any seats won by those candidates in November would be declared vacant and filled by local party committees. Justices are expected to issue a ruling soon.
“The will of the people expressed through voting won’t be undone based on technicalities unless the defects either prevent the free and intelligent casting of votes, affect an essential element of the election, or we have a law expressly saying that particular defect will void the election,” said Phil Axt, attorney for the Secretary of State.
We reached out to DesLauriers and Mihalick, the House candidates in Minot named in the petition, for reaction.
They released a joint reaction that reads:
The voters of D3 spoke in June – we are just focused on working hard to make sure we finish strong on November 3rd.
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