(Bismarck, ND) — The North Dakota Secretary of State’s Office is asking a Bismarck judge to dismiss a voting rights case brought by two tribes accusing the state of gerrymandering. State lawyers argued before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday that the Spirit Lake Nation and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa don’t have the authority to bring the suit. The tribes argue that a ruling in favor of the state would take away voters’ ability to challenge violations of the Voting Rights Act in North Dakota elections. The tribes accuse the state of racial gerrymandering because of a redistricting plan that puts them in the same district.
