Supreme Court to Severson: You Can’t Play Games with the Ballot

08/18/2010

St. Paul (August 17, 2010) — This week, Supreme Court ruled that “Doc” may not appear next to GOP Secretary of State candidate Dan Severson’s name on the ballot.

“Elections are not a joke, and Dan Severson cannot simply make up nicknames to play a celebrity when it suits him,” said DFL spokesperson Kristin Sosanie. “With this decision, the Supreme Court affirmed the sanctity of the ballot.”

When registering to run for office, every candidate must sign an affidavit stating: “This is my true name or the name that I am generally known by in the community.” Dan Severson filed as Dan “Doc” Severson when running for Secretary of State this year, but has never filed that way in any of the four previous times he’s run for office.

“Dan Severson either didn’t understand the election laws while filing, or purposefully tried to mislead Minnesota voters and play games with the ballot,” Sosanie said. “Either way, Severson’s actions are troubling since he’s running to be our state’s chief elections officer. If Dan Severson can’t or won’t even file for office correctly, how are Minnesotans supposed to trust him with the sound election system they have built over the last 150 years?”

Background:

The Minnesota Supreme Court ordered that “Doc” be omitted from the 2010 general election ballot.

· “On May 25, 2010, Daniel Mark Severson filed an affidavit of candidacy for the office of Minnesota Secretary of State, indicating that his name should be placed on the 2010 general election ballot as “Dan “Doc” Severson.” On June 29, 2010, petitioner Carol Weiler filed a petition with our court pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 204B.44 (2008), requesting an order directing the Secretary of State to omit “Doc” from Severson’s name on the ballot.”

· “The petition of Carol Weiler be, and the same is, granted to the extent that it seeks an order directing the Secretary of State to omit “Doc” from the name of intervenor-respondent Severson as a candidate for Minnesota Secretary of State on the 2010 general election ballot, and the Secretary of State is so directed. 2. So as not to impair the orderly election process, this order is issued with opinion to follow.” [Minnesota Supreme Court Order, written by Chief Justice Lorie S. Gildea, 08/16/10, attached]