We are South Dakota Open Primaries (SDOP) – the South Dakota 2024 open primaries ballot initiative campaign.

SDOP is a statewide ballot question committee registered with the South Dakota Secretary of State. Our purpose is to build support among voters for our proposed 2024 constitutional ballot initiative to adopt open primary elections in South Dakota.

The initiative would establish a top-two open primary system for the following elections: U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Governor, State Legislature, and county elective offices. In each race, all the candidates would compete in a single primary open to all South Dakota voters. The two candidates that receive the most votes would advance to the general election. The ballot would continue to indicate the party affiliation, or lack thereof, for each candidate.

We believe that primary elections in South Dakota should be open to all voters regardless of political party affiliation. Under our current system, too many South Dakotans are excluded from the primary process.

There are five members of the SDOP Board of Directors: Joe Kirby, De Knudson, Drey Samuelson, Thomas Dempster, and Tom Heinz. Kirby is the SDOP Chairman. Knudson is the SDOP Treasurer.

Joe Kirby, a registered Republican, is a fourth-generation South Dakotan and a retired businessman. De Knudson is a former member of the Sioux Falls City Council. Thomas Dempster is a former Republican elected official who served for nine years as a Minnehaha County Commissioner and eight years as a State Senator. Drey Samuelson is the former chief of staff for U.S. Senator Tim Johnson.

Please contact the campaign team with any questions.