Jan 15, 2006 - 05:58:04 CST
Three wheels are better than two if you live in California and drive a motorcycle without a license.California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger found that out last Sunday after getting into an accident with his motorcycle that gave him a fat lip and stitches.
Schwarzenegger doesn't have a motorcycle license, but according to a story in the Los Angeles Times, he didn't break the law because the motor vehicle code requires a license for drivers of "two-wheeled"vehicles. His sidecar added a third wheel.
A third wheel won't save you from a ticket in North Dakota if you are driving a motorcycle without a permit or license.
The Motorcycle Operator's Manual published by the Department of Transportation specifically states that a motorcycle license or permit is required for an operator to drive a motorcycle with two or three wheels.
Driving without a Class M permit or license in North Dakota will result in a $20 fine and a four-point assessment on your driving record.
Democratic candidate
Republican legislators in Bismarck's District 35 will be faced by a young challenger.
Ryan Gustafson, 22, will formally announce Tuesday that he plans on seeking the Democratic nomination to run for a seat in the House in that district.
He is currently employed as the communications director for the North Dakota Progressive Coalition, a nonprofit advocacy group.
Gustafson moved to Bismarck in 1999. He graduated from Bismarck High School in 2001 and from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in journalism.
Gustafson is hosting an event at the Democratic Party state headquarters, located at 1902 E. Divide Ave., where he will formally announce his candidacy. The event will take place at 7 p.m.
He is inviting residents of District 35, which covers central Bismarck, to attend the event.
The incumbents in District 35 are Sen. Ed Kringstad and Reps. Bob Martinson and Margaret Sitte, all Republicans.
Voting equipment
Secretary of State Al Jaeger said all of North Dakota's 53 counties will be using the same election equipment possibly for the first time since ballots were hand counted in the 1950s.
Jaeger said the last of the new election equipment that meets requirements of the Help America Vote Act was delivered to counties last month.
All of the counties will be using ballot scanners and will have special machines that help people with disabilities vote.
"There's certainly been a transformation from all the paper ballots being hand counted to where we are today,"Jaeger said.
HAVAwas signed into law by President Bush on Oct. 29, 2002, in response to problems uncovered during the 2000 presidential election.
Some of the requirements of HAVAinclude having a voting system capable of notifying voters if corrections are necessary on their ballots and allowing people with disabilities to vote unassisted.
(Reach reporter Tom Rafferty at 223-8482 or tom.rafferty@;bismarcktribune.com.)
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