ND Supreme Court rejects challenge to GOP candidates' ballot status

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 29 Oct, 10:45 · Archive

North Dakota's Supreme Court has refused to rule on whether four Republican legislative candidates should be removed from the ballot.

The North Dakota Supreme Court has rejected a petition challenging the ballot status of four Republican legislative candidates, ruling that the challenge was brought too late. Three Republican figures—Matthew Evans, Jeff Hoverson and Douglas Pearson—filed the petition on 28 September, roughly a month after the deadline for candidates to file corrections to their nominating petitions and after the general election ballot had been certified.

The petitioners argued that District 3 House candidates Tim Mihalick and Blaine DesLauriers, and District 7 candidate Steven Sauter, had missing addresses filled in by third parties on their nominating petitions. They also claimed that District 25 candidate Terry Goerger failed to claim an official party on his paperwork. All three petitioners had personal stakes in the races: Hoverson and Evans lost to some of the candidates in the primary, while Pearson sits on the executive committee of Sauter's district.

The justices wrote that the timing of the petition disrupted the ongoing election and potentially confused voters. 'Delayed filing also creates substantial prejudice for the four candidates,' they stated. Justices Jerod Tufte and Douglas Bahr, who are themselves on the ballot, were disqualified from ruling and were replaced by surrogate justices William Neumann and David Reich. The Secretary of State's office had declined to act on the matter earlier in the summer.

How it is being reported

• ND Supreme Court will not intervene on candidacy of quartet of GOP legislative candidatesIn a ruling filed Wednesday, the justices denied a petition from three Republican figures challenging the nominating petitions of four primary winners.Valleynewslive · 29 Oct, 10:27
• ND Supreme Court will not intervene on candidacy of quartet of GOP legislative candidatesThe North Dakota Supreme Court will not rule on the legitimacy of four Republican legislative candidates on the ballot, saying the effort was brought to them too late.Kfyrtv · 29 Oct, 02:06

In this story: North Dakota Supreme Court · Tim Mihalick · Blaine DesLauriers · Steven Sauter · Terry Goerger · Matthew Evans · Jeff Hoverson · Douglas Pearson

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