ND: Libertarian File Lawsuit to Challenge Unconstitutional Election Laws

From the Bismarck Tribune:

The North Dakota Libertarian Party is suing Secretary of State Al Jaeger over election laws it says unfairly target third parties.  Party Chairman Richard Ames and two other Libertarian candidates for the Legislature were barred from advancing to the general election because they didn’t get the required number of votes in the state primary.

The number varies slightly  by district. In Ames’ case, as in most cases, he would have needed about 130 votes to move on to the general election.  Oliver Hall, the attorney for the party and the head of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Competitive Democracy, said North Dakota is the only state in the U.S. where candidates face such a requirement  after they already  got 7,000 signatures to compete in the primary.

“We’re asking the court to strike down the law as unconstitutional,” said Hall.

ND: Libertarian Party Turns in Petitions for Ballot Access

From WDAY News:

Libertarian Party supporters have turned in petitions seeking the party's own column on North Dakota's statewide ballot. Secretary of State Al Jaeger says Libertarian Party backers need signatures from at least 7,000 North Dakota voters.

ND: Fargo City Commissioner to Run for State House as Independent

From Inforum:

Fargo City Commissioner Mike Williams announced today he will run as an independent candidate for North Dakota’s House of Representatives in November. Williams will vie for one of two District 11 seats currently held by Reps. Mary Ekstrom and Scot Kelsh, both Democrats.