Bill would allow multiple nominations, ballot listings

Legislation introduced this week at the state Capitol would allow the names of Minnesota candidates to be listed more than once on the election ballot.

Under the so-called fusion candidate bill, an individual would be named on the ballot for each political party nomination they secured. Rep. Tina Liebling, DFL-Rochester, the bill's chief author, said her inspiration was not last fall's 6th District Congressional contest. But Liebling said her proposed change in election law would have allowed Elwyn Tinklenberg to be listed on the ballot once as a DFL candidate and again as an Independence Party candidate.

"This prevents the mischief of the party wanting to endorse you, but since they can't then put your name on the ballot under current law, somebody else can come in and put their name on the ballot," Liebling saud. "And this happened in the Tinklenberg race."

Tinklenberg ran as a Democrat last year and also won a cross-endorsement from the Independence Party. But Tinklenberg couldn't seek the IP nomination in the primary. That cleared the way for unendorsed IP candidate Bob Anderson to get on the November ballot.

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