The leader of a group seeking to recall Walsh County Sheriff Lauren Wild said she plans today to give the county auditor more than enough signatures to force a special election.
The group has 1,355 signatures - 119 more than the required 1,236, according to a Facebook posting from Jennie Swartz of Pisek, N.D.
Swartz's group sought to gather extra signatures in case some are thrown out when the auditor examines them. The signatures must have come from Walsh County residents who are eligible to vote.
County Auditor Sharon Kinsala has said that once the signatures are turned in, she has 30 days to review them. If they are approved, the county has 90 to 100 days to hold a special election, which will cost $10,000 to $12,000, she said.
The movement to recall Wild began after he fired Ron Nord, a deputy who recently ran against Wild and lost. Wild got 63.5 percent of the vote, while Nord received 36.4 percent in a race with 4,013 votes cast, the North Dakota Secretary of State's Office reported.
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Wild, who's served as sheriff since 1989, axed Nord the morning after the Nov. 2 election, alleging that Nord was spreading lies in an attempt to gain votes. Nord, who had been with the sheriff's department for 19 years, maintains he ran a clean campaign.
Nord, who has not been involved in the recall effort, has said he'll run if there's a special election. Meanwhile, Wild has vowed to fight to hold onto his seat.
If there is a special election, Wild would automatically appear on the ballot, while others, including Nord, would have to gather signatures in order to run.
