The North Dakota Secretary of State’s Office has clarified the election procedure for District 11 following the tragic death of Representative Liz Conmy, who died in a plane crash in Minnesota this past weekend. Due to the accident happening after the deadline to withdraw, Conmy’s name will remain on the June 9 primary ballot, as she was planning to run for reelection.
Anastassia Andrianova, a fellow Democrat in District 11, is also listed on the ballot. If Conmy and Andrianova get the most votes, only Andrianova’s name will advance to the November ballot. A certified write-in candidate who earns enough votes in the primary could potentially take the second Democratic slot for November. Any candidate who runs in the primary and loses is barred from re-entering as an independent in November.
District 11, which covers parts of South Fargo, currently has no Republicans running for the House seats. Potential candidates have until May 19 to file as a certified write-in candidate. State Senator Tim Mathern, who represented District 11 along with Conmy, said the district party’s executive committee will likely meet this week to discuss a possible list of write-in candidates that the party will then endorse with a write-in campaign.
As for filling Conmy’s vacancy in the interim, the party must wait for official notification of a vacancy from Senate Majority Leader David Hogue before appointing someone to finish Conmy’s term through December 1.
Odd-numbered districts are on the ballot this year, although vacancies left in even-numbered districts will be addressed.
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