Two bills that aimed to change the process of how candidates get on the North Dakota ballot failed in the House. Sponsored by Rep. Mike Nathe, R-Bismarck, House Bill 1446 would have required candidates to gather signatures rather than rely on a political endorsement. Nathe argued that the current system is flawed and pushes candidates away for not meeting party values. However, lawmakers opposing the bill argued that it would put more candidates on the primary ballot and fundamentally change the endorsing process. The bill failed on a 58-32 vote. Another bill, House Bill 1424, sponsored by Rep. Ben Koppelman, R-West Fargo, would have required candidates to obtain a political party’s endorsement. This bill also failed on an 86-3 vote.
The debate in the House highlighted the differing opinions on how candidates should get on the ballot and the role of political endorsements. While some lawmakers believed the endorsing process is necessary for vetting candidates, others argued that it restricts choices and can be influenced by party politics. Senate Bill 2252, sponsored by Sen. Chuck Walen, R-New Town, which would have also prohibited ballot access without a party endorsement, failed on a 41-6 vote in the Senate.
Overall, the failure of these bills opens up discussions on how to improve the candidate selection process and ensure that voters have a diverse range of choices in elections.
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