Grand Forks candidate’s election petition denied

A Grand Forks man’s petition to get his name placed on the state’s gubernatorial ballot as the Libertarian candidate has been denied in Northeast District Court in Grand Forks.

Roland Riemers, who was also seeking the removal of major party candidates from the ballot, will have his name listed as an independent candidate.

Judge Lawrence Jahnke, in a decision released Wednesday, said Secretary of State Al Jaeger acted properly in removing Riemers from the ballot after his lieutenant governor candidate Richard Ames failed to file all of the necessary paperwork for the primary in June.

Riemers received the number of primary votes necessary to advance to the general election as the Libertarian candidate, but Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem ruled Riemers’ lack of a properly nominated running mate negated the primary results.

Riemers was also trying to get the Republican and Democratic candidates removed from the ballot, claiming they didn’t file their certificates of endorsement separately as prescribed by state law.

Jahnke said Riemers didn’t provide any case law that would support that assertion.

Riemers appealed his case to the state Supreme Court, asking for an expedited decision. Riemers gathered the required number of signatures to be placed on the ballot as an independent, with running mate Anthony Johns.

The deadline for candidates to file for the Nov. 6 general election was Sept. 6.

Tags: news, elections