The full picture · 2 sources
North Dakota Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Ballot Eligibility for Four Republican Candidates
Updated Oct 24, 2:08 PM CT. Every fact below links to the source that reported it.
What the primary sources show
- North Dakota's Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday on whether paperwork errors in campaign nominations should disqualify four Republican legislative candidates from the ballot. [KFYR-TV] [Bismarck Tribune]
- The challenged candidates are Blaine DesLauriers and Tim Mihalick of Minot, Steven Sauter of Bismarck, and Terry Goerger of Richland County. [KFYR-TV]
- Petitioners claim DesLauriers, Mihalick, and Sauter had missing addresses on their nominating petitions that were filled in by third parties, while Goerger allegedly omitted his political party affiliation. [KFYR-TV]
- Republican figures Jeff Hoverson and another individual named Evans filed the lawsuit against Secretary of State Michael Howe after losing their own primaries to the candidates they now challenge. [KFYR-TV]
- If the court rules in favor of the petitioners, any seats won by the challenged candidates in November would be declared vacant and filled by local party committees. [KFYR-TV]
- The Secretary of State's attorney argued that election defects only void candidacies if they prevent free and intelligent voting, affect an essential element of the election, or violate an express law. [KFYR-TV]
What they left out / still unanswered
- When will the North Dakota Supreme Court issue its ruling, given that voting has already begun?
- What procedures will local party committees follow to select replacements if any of the challenged candidates are removed?
- How would votes already cast for removed candidates be counted or handled?
Official line vs. how each source framed it
- KFYR-TV: KFYR detailed the specific candidates, the nature of the paperwork errors, the identities of the petitioners and their primary losses, and the legal standard governing when defects void candidacies. Read it → · Ads
- Bismarck Tribune: Bismarck Tribune provided a brief report that the court heard arguments about petition problems challenging four candidates' ballot eligibility. Read it → · Paywall
701 News writes these summaries from the sources above and checks every sentence against them. Read the originals for the full reporting. Corrections