Curtis Olafson (R-Fargo) photo: olafson4nd.com
FARGO (KFGO) – A candidate for North Dakota Senate says a portion of mailers that were scheduled to be delivered to targeted voters in Fargo were held at the post office for up to 12 days and were not delivered until two days after the election.
Republican candidate Curtis Olafson, who lost his bid for Fargo’s District 10 senate seat by 38 votes, said the 260-280 targeted mailers could have been the difference in the election.
“That’s households, not voters,” Olafson said. “If you extrapolate that out and come up with a reasonable estimate, that there would be one and a half people per household, you’re talking around 400 potential voters that never received a critical get-out-the-vote mailer.”
According to Olafson, the mailers were delivered to the downtown post office on Oct. 29 so they could be delivered to households between Oct. 31 and Nov. 2. They didn’t arrive at the Prairiewood office, the office that would deliver to addresses in the district, until Nov. 10.
“It’s important that this be thoroughly investigated because this was a critical campaign strategy to get my base motivated and remind them to get out and vote during the critical early voting period,” Olafson said.
At 38 votes, Olafson is within the margin of error for a recount, but he acknowledges that it would be a steep hill to climb unless there are mail in ballots that haven’t come in yet.
Olafson said he spoke with the Prairiewood Post Office branch manager Monday who told him they would investigate what happened and get back to him by the end of the day, but he hadn’t heard anything as of Tuesday morning.
“It’s truly disappointing to know that a basic campaign strategy to reach hundreds of Republican voters was denied us,” said Olafson, “and it’s very puzzling that our mailing was broken up into batches. I trust that the Post Office will do a thorough investigation; it’s important to know what actually happened and why.”
KFGO News left a message with the downtown post office, but has not received a call back.
Olafson previously served as a senator in the old District 10 in Pembina and Cavalier counties from 2006-2012.
Comments