North Dakota
Port: Addled by paranoia, North Dakota Republicans don't even trust themselves to run a fair election
MINOT — Gov. Doug Burgum
opting not to run for a third term
has set off a reshuffling of state politics
as various Republicans jockey and posture to take advantage.
This means that this spring’s NDGOP convention looks like it will be…sporty.
It’s a lucky turn of events for party chair Sandi Sanford. The NDGOP
has struggled with fundraising
on her watch as Trump-era divides in the party show up in the party’s finances. Things have gotten so bad that the party jacked up the cost of participating in the state convention, nearly doubling the fees delegates will have to pay.
Being a delegate this year will cost a whopping $150, according to the party’s registration information. That’s up more than 76% from the $85 fee charged at the 2022 state convention. A party membership, which is also a prerequisite, is $50, and many districts also charge their own dues to local activists. Attending the annual prayer breakfast and governor’s dinner will also cost $35 and $125, respectively, plus whatever food, travel and lodging costs the delegates accrue.
By contrast, the Democratic-NPL doesn’t require a delegate fee. They have just a $100 suggested donation, party chair Adam Goldwyn told me, though, admittedly, the Democrats aren’t quite the same draw in North Dakota as the Republicans are.
It’s a lot of money to shell out for participation, and if the convention weren’t as likely to feature competitive endorsement races as it is now, I suspect many Republicans would have given it a pass.
Now,
with heated competitions likely for governor and U.S. House,
interest should be higher. But, despite the higher fees, Republican delegates will be greeted in Fargo by a slow, confusing, error-prone process of pen-and-paper voting. Anyone who has attended a NDGOP state convention over the last couple of decades, and has sat through seeming interminable delays, knows what a slogging chore voting on things like resolutions, rules, delegates and candidates can be.
The party considered moving to a system of electronic voting, speeding things up and improving accuracy — and they even went so far as to get a bid from a vendor to provide those services — but the MAGA wing of the party nixed the whole thing.
I’m told by people who attended the Jan. 20 state committee meeting that the vendor gave a detailed presentation about the voting system. Some party leaders, including Vice Chair John Trandem, argued that electronic voting would not only be faster but more secure and accurate. The paper balloting process relies on ballots being printed out in the convention hall and distributed to the hundreds and sometimes thousands of delegates, who then mark them and turn them in to their district chairs, who turn them over to be counted.
The ballots go through a lot of hands. There are a lot of humans involved who could, if they have nefarious intent, manipulate the process. Or, more likely, make an honest mistake.
Electronic voting makes more sense to reasonable people, among whose number we cannot count the sort of Republicans who have bought into disgraced former President Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 election. The NDGOP’s technology committee recommended, by way of an 8-5 vote, the use of electronic voting at the state convention. Unfortunately, the state committee, made up of local committee chairs from around the state, voted it down 26-30.
Before you tell me this seems too crazy to believe, remember that a ballot measure currently being circulated would change state election law in many ways, including the banning of electronic voting machines. The chair of that ballot measure committee — risibly, they call their proposal the
“election integrity act”
— promoted stolen election twaddle to state lawmakers during their 2022 session, including the claim that the U.S. Supreme Court had overturned the 2020 election in
a “secret docket” ruling.
Go ahead and laugh if you want. It is a very stupid claim to make, and only the foolishly gullible, the MAGA movement’s legions of useful idiots, really believe it. But then remember that people who believe that sort of thing make up a majority of the Republicans who are showing up to party committee meetings and conventions.
Useful idiots, indeed.
This is why the NDGOP can’t use a safe, secure electronic voting process to count votes at its state convention. And, should the aforementioned ballot measure get any traction, it could also be why voting in our state’s elections becomes more arduous and less secure.
Because the NDGOP’s base is so paranoid, they don’t even trust themselves.
Submitted Photo
U.S. soldiers with the Nebraska and North Dakota National Guards, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, pose for a group photo at a hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, April 28. N.D. National Guard 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, front row, far left, served as the officer in charge of the mission when soldiers assigned to JTF-DC responded to the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner April 25. About 2,500 National Guard members are supporting the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, providing critical assistance to the Metropolitan Police Department to help ensure the safety of residents, commuters and visitors throughout the District. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Thomas Norris.
WASHINGTON – U.S. soldiers with the North Dakota, Arkansas and Nebraska Army National Guard, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, responded to a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner (WHCAD) at the Washington Hilton in Northwest Washington April 25.
The Guardsmen were at the WHCAD at the request of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) as an additional patrol unit created specifically for the event, which celebrates the contribution of news organizations and independent journalists alike who provide notable coverage relating to the presidential administration.
“Our mission was to assist the U.S. Secret Service with crowd control,” said Capt. Kevin Peatrowsky, an operations officer with the Nebraska National Guard (NENG) assigned to JTF-DC.
As the Guardsmen were monitoring their area of operations, they saw USSS agents sprint toward the hotel entrance.
“They were running full speed with their weapons drawn,” said Sgt. 1st. Class Allen Haney, a team member with the Arkansas National Guard. “We immediately followed suit.”
Staff Sgt. Kirsten Confer, a NENG combat medic and battle captain, recalled her response to the incident: “We fell back on our basic training. You run toward danger and move in a way that makes sense for the situation.”
According to Confer, the Guardsmen entered the hotel and immediately began securing the scene and ensured that the guests evacuated safely. At the direction of a federal agent, Confer began a rapid trauma assessment on the suspect which resulted in finding knives and ammunition on the shooter. Simultaneously, the Arkansas soldiers moved outside to provide crowd control at a pedestrian barricade outside the hotel.
“From there, we assisted wherever we could,” said 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, a National Guardsman from North Dakota who served as the officer in charge for the mission. “We were initially helping with crowd control. After that, we realized that the USSS had begun rerouting everyone in the hotel, so we moved to the doors. We were controlling entry into the venue, so we had moved a couple more people outside, so we had five inside, eight outside.” Both Arkansas and Nebraska worked well alongside one another and, alongside the federal agencies. Hill also noted that relying on his soldiers allowed him to move to different teams, which helped allow him to plan and coordinate with different agencies.
According to 1st Lt. Jonathan Goins, a platoon leader with the Arkansas National Guard, Arkansas soldiers also helped establish a security perimeter for the staging of the presidential motorcade. Later, the team assisted federal agencies and MPD with crowd control, which helped clear the way for the president and administration officials, he said.
“Guardsmen on this mission represent the very best of the nation,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard II, the interim commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard. “The world got a brief glimpse, but I see them each day serving and doing amazing things across the District.”
FARGO, N.D. (KELO) — The Sioux Falls Stampede staved off elimination with a 2-1 overtime win over the Fargo Force in game four of the USHL Western Conference Finals Saturday night.
Thomas Zocco scored the game-winner 12 minutes into the extra period. Arseni Marchenko put Fargo on the board first in the first period. Noah Mannausau tied the game for the Herd in the second period.
Sioux Falls outshot Fargo 53-49, including 9-5 in overtime. Linards Feldbergs made 48 saves.
Three of the four games of the series have gone to overtime. The winner-take-all game five is Tuesday at the Premier Center.
New ballot measure guide to be mailed to North Dakota voters ahead of election
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