The Democratic-NPL Is About to Be Embarrassed by the Courts Again
MINOT, N.D. — Earlier this year, the state Supreme Court removed Travisia Martin, the candidate for Insurance Commissioner endorsed by the North Dakota Democratic-NPL, from the statewide ballot.
The reason? She voted in Nevada in 2016, something which, when done legally, requires one to be a resident of Nevada and not North Dakota. Yet North Dakota’s constitution requires one to have been a resident of our state for five years to qualify for statewide elected office.
Martin was not eligible, yet both the candidate and the Democratic-NPL insisted on fighting the issue to the state Supreme Court.
They lost because facts are stubborn things. When the Democratic-NPL sued to get a replacement candidate on the ballot, the Supreme Court rebuffed them again. The rules are the rules, and the Democratic-NPL’s incompetence in vetting their candidates is not an exemption.
Now, in a fit of pettiness that is only overshadowed by the hypocrisy on display, the Democratic-NPL insists that a Republican legislative incumbent, Rep. Terry Jones of New Town, is ineligible because he fails to meet the one-year residency requirement for the Legislature.