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North Dakota Public Service Commission election, 2016
2018 →
← 2014
|
 |
June 14, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
Julie Fedorchak (R) |
Julie Fedorchak (R) |
Governor and Lt. Governor • Treasurer Down Ballot Auditor • Insurance Commissioner Public Service Commission Superintendent of Schools |
April 11, 2016 |
March 31-April 2, 2016  April 1-3, 2016  |
June 14, 2016 |
September 6, 2016 |
October 18, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
TBD |
December 15, 2016 |
North Dakota held an election for one seat on the Public Service Commission on November 8, 2016, with a primary on June 14. Incumbent Julie Fedorchak (R) won election to a full term.
Overview
The North Dakota Public Service Commission regulates electric and gas utilities, telecommunication companies and railroads, and is responsible for siting energy plant and transmission facilities. One seat, held by a Republican, was up for election. Going into the 2016 elections, Republicans had unified control of the commission. Because only one seat was up for election, Republicans were guaranteed to retain a majority of the seats on the commission. However, it was possible for Democrats to weaken Republican control of the commission.
Incumbent Julie Fedorchak sought election to a full term in 2016. She competed in the November 8 general election with Democrat Marlo Hunte-Beaubrun and Libertarian Tom Skadeland. Fedorchak won the general election on November 8, 2016.
Candidates
Marlo Hunte-Beaubrun (D/Democratic-Nonpartisan League)
Director, entrepreneurship center, Neuta Hidatsa Sahnish College
Julie Fedorchak (R)
Incumbent public service commissioner since 2013
Tom Skadeland (Lib.)
Electrician, substitute teacher
Results
General election
Incumbent Julie Fedorchak defeated Marlo Hunte-Beaubrun and Tom Skadeland in the North Dakota public service commission election.
| North Dakota Public Service Commission, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Julie Fedorchak Incumbent |
68.76% | 218,961 | |
| Democratic/Democrat-Nonpartisan League | Marlo Hunte-Beaubrun | 22.62% | 72,028 | |
| Libertarian | Tom Skadeland | 8.45% | 26,913 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.18% | 563 | ||
| Total Votes | 318,465 | |||
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
Primary elections
Marlo Hunte-Beaubrun ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for public service commissioner.
| Democratic primary for public service commissioner, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Marlo Hunte-Beaubrun (unopposed) |
99.76% | 16,425 |
| Write-in votes | 0.24% | 40 |
| Total Votes (432 of 432 precincts reporting) | 16,465 | |
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State | ||
Incumbent Julie Fedorchak ran unopposed in the Republican primary for public service commissioner.
| Republican primary for public service commissioner, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Julie Fedorchak Incumbent (unopposed) |
99.70% | 92,931 |
| Write-in votes | 0.3% | 281 |
| Total Votes (432 of 432 precincts reporting) | 93,212 | |
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State | ||
Tom Skadeland ran unopposed in the Libertarian primary for public service commissioner.
| Libertarian primary for public service commissioner, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Tom Skadeland (unopposed) |
99.62% | 1,051 |
| Write-in votes | 0.38% | 4 |
| Total Votes (432 of 432 precincts reporting) | 1,055 | |
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State | ||
Context of the 2016 election
Primary elections
A primary election is an election in which voters select the candidate they believe should represent a political party in a general election. Primaries usually take place several months before a general election. North Dakota utilizes an open primary system, in which voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[1][2][3] In North Dakota, major party candidates are usually nominated or endorsed by the party at the state conventions, which take place prior to the primary elections. Often, candidates who do not receive the endorsements do not file to run in the primary, however that is not mandatory and major party candidates can and do run in the primary regardless of receiving the official party nod.
Primary contests for nonpartisan elections take the form of a top-two primary, with the top-two vote getters advancing to the general election.
North Dakota's primary elections took place on June 14, 2016.
Incumbent Julie Fedorchak (R)
Fedorchak was appointed to the commission by Governor Jack Dalrymple (R) in 2013 to serve out the remainder a term ending in 2016. Fedorchak replaced outgoing Commissioner Kevin Cramer (R), who was elected to the U.S. House in 2012 and left the commission to assume the seat. Prior to her appointment, Fedorchak served as North Dakota state director for U.S. Senator John Hoeven (R).
Party control in North Dakota
North Dakota has been under Republican trifecta control since 1995, and Republicans have seen comfortable margins of victory in recent statewide elections. The 2012 Republican Dalrymple/Wrigley ticket for governor won by a nearly 30-point margin.[4] In 2014, Attorney General Stenehjem won a fifth term in office with over 74 percent of the vote.[5]
However, recent elections have also shown that popular Democrats can and do win statewide elections in North Dakota. Most recently, Heidi Heitkamp (D) narrowly defeated her Republican opponent in the United States Senate race in 2012, even as Mitt Romney carried the state by a nearly 20-point margin and Dalrymple was elected governor by an even larger margin.[6] Before Heitkamp, North Dakotans were represented in the United States Senate by Democrat Kent Conrad, who won election five times. During his 1992 re-election bid, he defeated Jack Dalrymple by a 30-point margin.[7][8]
All three seats on the commission are held by Republicans. Since only one seat was up for election, Republicans were guaranted to retain majority control fo the commission after the November election.
Campaigns
Campaign media
Note: If a candidate is not listed below, Ballotpedia staff were unable to locate any campaign media for that candidate. Do you know of any? Tell us!
Democrats
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Republicans
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Third-party candidates
| Tom Skadeland (Lib.) | 
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About the office
The North Dakota Public Service Commission is a three-person state executive board in the North Dakota state government. The commission is responsible for regulating public utilities. The board is granted jurisdiction over railroads, telecommunications companies, pipelines, electric, and heating companies; grain elevators and warehouses; weights and measures; public auctioneers and auction clerks; the siting of energy plants and transmission facilities; reclamation of mined lands; and all other public utilities working within the state.[9] The specific duties of the commissioners are outlined in Chapter 49-01 of the North Dakota Century Code:
The commission does NOT have jurisdiction over:
- rural electric cooperatives
- most small telephone companies
- cable television
Incumbents
At the time of the election, the commissioners were chair Julie Fedorchak, Randy Christmann, and Brian Kalk.[10]
Qualifications
Article V, Section 4 of the North Dakota Constitution establishes the qualifications to hold the office of public service commissioner:
| To be eligible to hold an elective office established by this article, a person must be a qualified elector of this state, must be at least twenty-five years of age on the day of the election, and must have been a resident of this state for the five years preceding election to office. To be eligible to hold the office of governor or lieutenant governor, a person must be at least thirty years old on the day of the election. The attorney general must be licensed to practice law in this state. |
- qualified North Dakota voter
- at least 25 years old
- a resident of North Dakota for at least the five preceding years
Authority
The state Constitution establishes the three person public service commission in Article V, Section 2:
|
The qualified electors of the state at the times and places of choosing members of the legislative assembly shall choose a governor, lieutenant governor, agriculture commissioner, attorney general, auditor, insurance commissioner, three public service commissioners, secretary of state, superintendent of public instruction, tax commissioner, and treasurer. ... |
Past elections
The commissioners are elected on a statewide basis to staggered six-year terms.
2014
Republican incumbent Brian Kalk won re-election on November 4, 2014.
| North Dakota Public Service Commissioner, General election, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Brian Kalk Incumbent |
64.8% | 154,409 | |
| Democratic | Todd Reisenauer | 35.1% | 83,557 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.2% | 370 | |
| Total Votes | 238,336 | |||
| Election results via North Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
2014 special election
Republican incumbent Julie Fedorchak won the special election on November 4, 2014.
| North Dakota Public Service Commissioner, Special election, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Julie Fedorchak Incumbent |
66% | 156,596 | |
| Democratic | Tyler Axness | 33.8% | 80,319 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.2% | 401 | |
| Total Votes | 237,316 | |||
| Election results via North Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
2012
Incumbent Tony Clark (R) did not seek re-election in 2012. Randy Christmann (R) defeated Brad Crabtree (D) and Joshua Voytek (L) in the November 6, 2012 general election.
| North Dakota Public Service Commission General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Randy Christmann |
54.6% | 164,591 | |
| Democratic | Brad Crabtree | 41.1% | 123,978 | |
| Libertarian | Joshua Voytek | 4.3% | 13,098 | |
| Total Votes | 301,667 | |||
| Election results via North Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
2010
On November 2, 2010, Kevin Cramer won election to the office of North Dakota Public Service Commission. He defeated Brad Crabtree (D) and Joshua Voytek (L) in the general election.
| North Dakota Public Service Commission, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Kevin Cramer Incumbent |
61.5% | 142,644 | |
| Democratic | Brad Crabtree | 34.9% | 81,011 | |
| Libertarian | Joshua Voytek | 3.6% | 8,315 | |
| Write-In | Various | 0.1% | 144 | |
| Total Votes | 232,114 | |||
| Election results via North Dakota Secretary of State. | ||||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Brian Kalk won election to the office of North Dakota Public Service Commission. He defeated Cheryl Bergian in the general election.
| North Dakota Public Service Commission, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Brian Kalk |
53.2% | 156,221 | |
| Democratic | Cheryl Bergian | 46.8% | 137,682 | |
| Total Votes | 293,903 | |||
| Election results via North Dakota Secretary of State. | ||||
2006
On November 7, 2006, Tony Clark won re-election to the office of North Dakota Public Service Commission. He defeated Cheryl Bergian (D-NPL) in the general election.
| North Dakota Public Service Commission, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Tony Clark Incumbent |
52.3% | 110,002 | |
| Democratic | Cheryl Bergian | 47.7% | 100,233 | |
| Total Votes | 210,235 | |||
| Election results via North Dakota Secretary of State. | ||||
2004
On November 2, 2004, Kevin Cramer won re-election to the office of North Dakota Public Service Commission. He defeated Ron Gumeringer (D-NPL) in the general election.
| North Dakota Public Service Commission, 2004 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Kevin Cramer Incumbent |
65.5% | 191,825 | |
| Democratic | Ron Gumeringer | 34.5% | 101,081 | |
| Total Votes | 292,906 | |||
| Election results via North Dakota Secretary of State. | ||||
2002
On November 5, 2002, Susan Wefald won re-election to the office of North Dakota Public Service Commission. She defeated Bob Stefonowicz (D-NPL) in the general election.
| North Dakota Public Service Commission, 2002 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Susan Wefald Incumbent |
63.7% | 143,234 | |
| Democratic | Bob Stefonowicz | 36.3% | 81,583 | |
| Total Votes | 224,817 | |||
| Election results via North Dakota Secretary of State. | ||||
2000
On November 7, 2000, Tony Clark won election to the office of North Dakota Public Service Commission. He defeated Vern Thompson (D-NPL) in the general election.
| North Dakota Public Service Commission, 2000 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Tony Clark |
50.2% | 134,915 | |
| Democratic | Vern Thompson | 49.8% | 133,856 | |
| Total Votes | 268,771 | |||
| Election results via North Dakota Secretary of State. | ||||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms North Dakota Public Service Commissioner election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
State profile
| Demographic data for North Dakota | ||
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 756,835 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 69,001 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 88.7% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 1.6% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.2% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 5.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 2.9% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 91.7% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 27.7% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $57,181 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 12.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in North Dakota. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
North Dakota voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, four are located in North Dakota, accounting for 1.94 percent of the total pivot counties.[11]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. North Dakota had three Retained Pivot Counties, 1.66 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More North Dakota coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in North Dakota
- United States congressional delegations from North Dakota
- Public policy in North Dakota
- Endorsers in North Dakota
- North Dakota fact checks
- More...
See also
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North Dakota government: |
Previous elections: |
Ballotpedia exclusives: |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures Website, "State Primary Election Types," accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Fair Vote, "Congressional and Presidential Primaries: Open, Closed, Semi-Closed, and 'Top Two,'" accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "NORTH DAKOTA OFFICIAL ABSTRACT OF VOTES CAST AT THE GENERAL ELECTION HELD ON NOVEMBER 6, 2012," accessed Aug. 24, 2015
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "Official Results, General Election - November 4, 2014
- ↑ The New York Times, "Election 2012: North Dakota," accessed August 24, 2015
- ↑ U.S. News, "10 things you didn't know about Kent Conrad," accessed Aug. 24, 2015
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "OFFICIAL ABSTRACT OF VOTES CAST AT THE SPECIAL ELECTION HELD DECEMBER 4,1992," accessed Aug. 24, 2015
- ↑ North Dakota Legislation, "Article 69-01: General administration," accessed July 13, 2011
- ↑ Public Service Commission of North Dakota, "Meet the Commissioners," accessed January 14, 2015
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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