A Democratic-NPL candidate for state House in northeast North Dakota withdrew her name from the November general election ballot, the Secretary of State’s Office announced Tuesday.
Lynnell Popowski, a candidate in District 19, works as a shared mobility program manager for the Minnesota Department of Transportation, a position that is funded through a federal grant. She said her supervisor told her that her running for a seat in the North Dakota Legislature was a violation of the Hatch Act of 1939.
Local government employees that work in connection with federally funded programs are limited in participating in certain political activities, according to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. The purpose of the law is to ensure programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion and it protects the employee from political coercion.
“It didn’t occur to me because I work in Minnesota and was running in North Dakota, I didn’t think there would be any conflict of interest,” she said.
Popowski ran unopposed in the June primary. Under state law, candidates nominated during the primary election may decline their nomination before Sept. 2.
Sandy McMerty, deputy secretary of state, said there is not a path for the Dem-NPL party to fill the nomination under state law. Independent candidates can submit petition signatures to appear on the general election ballot to the Secretary of State’s Office until Aug. 31.
Write-in candidates must submit their certificate of candidacy and statement of interest to the Secretary of State’s Office by Oct. 13.
Popowski said she hopes an independent candidate who aligns with the party will emerge to run for District 19.
“We are looking,” she said.
District 19 is represented by Sen. Janne Myrdal of Edinburg, Rep. Karen Anderson of Grafton and Rep. David Monson of Osnabrock, all Republicans. They are being challenged by Dem-NPL Senate candidate Jeff Hermanson and House candidate Jolene Hermanson, a married couple living in Grafton.
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