By: Ethan Kramer
BISMARCK, N.D. (Valley News Live) – State Rep. Liz Conmy will remain on the June 9 primary ballot following her death in a plane crash, and the District 11 Democratic-NPL Party cannot place a new candidate on the ballot, North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe said.
Conmy was killed Saturday when a small plane crashed and caught fire near Crystal Airport in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Her partner, the pilot Joe Cass, also died in the crash. Brooklyn Park Police responded to the crash at 11:51 a.m. Saturday. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed two people were aboard the aircraft at the time of the crash.
Conmy represented District 11 in Fargo since 2022.
Howe said Conmy’s death came after the April 8 ballot withdrawal deadline, and Cass County has already mailed military and overseas ballots and printed ballots for absentee voting.
Removal of a candidate’s name after the withdrawal period passes is not allowable under statute, according to Howe.
Write-in and independent options available
Candidates can mount a certified write-in campaign from either party by filing a certificate of write-in form and a statement of interest with the Secretary of State’s office by 4 p.m. on May 19.
Candidates seeking to run as independents have until 4 p.m. on Aug. 31 to submit 300 signatures of qualified electors from District 11, an affidavit of candidacy and statement of interest to be placed on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.
If there are no certified write-in candidates for the District 11 Democratic-NPL nomination, Anastassiya Andrianova will advance to the general election as one nominee, but Conmy would not. If there are certified write-in candidates for the District 11 House seats in the Democratic primary but they do not finish in the top two, they would be ineligible to run as independents in the general election.
Votes for Conmy will be counted
Votes for Conmy will be tabulated, reported and certified, Howe said. Votes for Conmy cannot be transferred to another candidate, and voted ballots cannot be returned to voters to vote for a different candidate.
The District 11 Democratic-NPL will have 21 days after receiving official notice from the chairman of Legislative Management, Sen. David Hogue, to fill the vacancy for the remainder of Conmy’s term, which expires Nov. 30.
Howe said Conmy cared deeply about the election process and worked with his office on House Bill 1099 from the 2025 legislative session, which she sponsored after her experience as an election judge during the 2024 election.
