North Dakota Supreme Court Rejects Bid to Disqualify Candidates
The North Dakota Supreme Court unanimously denied a petition to disqualify four legislative candidates, ruling the challenge was filed too late to avoid disrupting the general election.
The Supreme Court of North Dakota issued a 5-0 ruling denying a petition to disqualify four legislative candidates—Blaine DesLauriers, Tim Mihalick, Steve Sauter, and Terry Goerger—from the November 3 general election. The challenge, brought by Brandon Prichard of the Citizens Alliance of North Dakota and Republican officials Matt Evans, Jeff Hoverson, and Douglas Pearson, alleged that the candidates were ineligible due to primary paperwork errors and invalid signatures.
Justice Mark Friese, writing for the unanimous court, dismissed the petition primarily because it was filed on September 28, a month after the August 31 correction deadline and after ballots had been certified and absentee voting had begun. The court determined that the delayed filing created substantial prejudice for the candidates and that the timing of the petition would disrupt the ongoing election and potentially confuse voters. The court also found that Secretary of State Michael Howe had consistently applied signature regulations for nearly 40 years.
Secretary of State Michael Howe supported the decision, while Governor Kelly Armstrong characterized the legal action as "complete garbage." Brandon Prichard criticized the ruling, arguing that the decision creates a bad precedent regarding when challenges to candidate eligibility can be brought.
