Do most voters understand how candidates end up on the ballot in November? I’m not sure they do, and perhaps they can’t be blamed. Here in North Dakota, the process is a little convoluted. The political parties – Republicans, Democrats, sometimes even the Libertarians – hold a series of conventions to endorse candidates. First there…
Should Convicted Criminals Be Able to Serve on North Dakota’s School Boards?
Last week Bismarck Tribune reporter Amy Dalrymple ran a story about a Twin Buttes woman named Melissa Starr who was elected to the local school board despite a conviction for embezzlement she’s still paying restitution on. Embezzlement from the school district she was just elected to govern. “Starr was one of seven Twin Buttes School…
We Have No Idea if Voter Fraud Changed the Outcome of Some North Dakota Elections
When the voter ID issue is brought up by Republicans the response from Democrats is usually a lot of dismissive sneering. Voter fraud isn’t really a problem, they tell us, pointing to the lack of criminal cases involving voter fraud. But is it that there’s no fraud? Or that we aren’t really doing anything to…
North Dakota Needs Fewer Elected Offices
In Cass County last night a proposal to elect fewer county officials was heard by the County Commission with no opposition from the public. Though at least one commissioner was skeptical per this report from Helmut Schmidt. “I struggle with this, because you know the citizens are smart enough to elect me, but they’re not…
Number of North Dakota Voters Casting Ballots With Affidavits Instead of ID up 55 Percent
During the 2015 legislative session state lawmakers passed stricter voter ID laws, among them the removal of the option to sign an affidavit declaring yourself an eligible voter. But after a legal challenge a federal judge overturned that change, and the state brought the affidavit option back ahead of the 2016 elections. The result? There…
John Olsrud: Voting Has Nothing To Do With Driving
Much attention has been given to the “easy as pie” voting system in North Dakota after voting requirements were tightened by the 2013 Legislative Assembly. Subsequent reports have indicated the new requirements have disenfranchised hundreds of students who wished to vote in their current precincts. Instead of changing the law back to the way it…
Richard Winger: Accessing Ballot Is Too Hard For North Dakota's Minor Party Candidates
Every state has had minor party candidates for the legislature on the ballot in recent elections, except for North Dakota. No minor party candidate for the N.D. legislature has been able to qualify for the November ballot since 1976, when the American Party managed to comply in a few districts. North Dakota bars minor party…
Rod St. Aubyn: Is North Dakota Electing Too Many Offices?
What do the offices of State Auditor, State Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner, Public Service Commissioners, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Agriculture Commissioner and Tax Commissioner have in common? In North Dakota all of these offices have elected heads of the respective agencies. That is not the case in many other states. Many…
From The Left: Does North Dakota Need A Shorter Election Season?
As I write this, we are in the middle of political season in North Dakota. The Republican and Dem-NPL State conventions were over 120 days ago, the state primary election was 57 days ago, and we are 90 days away from our November 4th general election. However, unless you are a political nerd, chances are,…
Supreme Court Strikes Down Federal Oversight Of Elections
The Voting Rights Act, in part, gave the federal government authority over state elections in some jurisdictions, mostly in the south but also in states like Alaska and parts of New York too. The law was intended to stop discrimination against minority voters, and when it was challenged in the 1960’s the Supreme Court upheld…