SDOP in the News
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“Public officials are quick to criticize voters when turnout is low. But the problem isn’t the voters. South Dakotans have proven they love to vote in important elections. The state’s antiquated closed primary system prohibits them from doing that.”
via South Dakota War College [10/16/24]
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"Candidates would change their messaging so they would appeal to all voters in the state instead of, as they currently do, appealing to the partisan few that show up for our primary elections.”
via Mitchell Now [10.15.24]
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"If it comes down to fairness and the use of public funds for the benefit of all, if the vote was held today, I would say that I am going to vote YES on Amendment H."
via SD War College [9.16.24]
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via The Dakota Scout [10.5.24]
Direct democracy allows voters to decide a specific issue. We have over a century of direct democracy history in South Dakota; we like voting on ballot issues. But the political class in our state doesn’t like it.
One of the reasons initiatives are so popular in South Dakota is that our Legislature is often out of touch with voters. Many legislators are elected by and answerable only to the partisans in their party, which skews their perspectives. As a result, the Legislature’s views often do not represent those of regular South Dakotans.
Our representative democracy governance system has been distorted under one-party rule and a closed primary election system. What may have once been workable under a two-party system no longer functions fairly. Today, large swaths of our electorate are underrepresented in the Legislature.
The state’s closed primary election system gives party bosses the power to pick candidates and winners. A quarter of us, 150,000 independent voters, have no representatives. Another quarter has about 10 percent of the representatives. Meanwhile, half of us get 90 percent of the representatives and all of the statewide offices.
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"The most fundamental principle of democracy is one person, one vote. Every citizen is treated equally."
via South Dakota Searchlight [9.27.24]
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via Independent Voter News [9.26.24]
"South Dakota voters have a choice in the 2024 election:
They can keep an election system that is solely controlled by a single political party, or they can reform primary elections that allow voters to equally choose any candidate they prefer, regardless of party, under Amendment H."
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via The South Dakota Standard [9.17.24]
"In South Dakota, as an independent, I’m prevented from voting in a very important election, the Republican Primary. I’m allowed to vote in the Democratic Primary only because Democrats changed their party rules to allow it. They could reverse that rule at any time.
The fact that independents can’t vote reminds me of something I learned in history class, “No taxation without representation.”"
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via Keloland News [9.17.24]
Proponent Drey Samuelson said he has a couple of reasons he wants to pass Amendment H.
“One is voter turnout is dismal in this state, we just had a primary where only 17% of voters voted in and that was the lowest total in 30 years. We need more people to vote and the best way is to encourage independents to vote,” Samuelson said. “Another problem is simple fairness. Independents pay taxes but they can’t cast meaningful votes, they pay taxes that go to administering our elections but they can’t do it, if that’s not taxation without representation I don’t know what is.”
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South Dakota Republican Party’s internal conflicts reveal a need for electoral reform via South Dakota Searchlight [9.16.24]
"South Dakota voters have a chance to change the state’s primary election system in November.
is on the ballot and would eliminate the Republican and Democratic primaries. It would create a South Dakota primary in which all candidates would be listed on a single ballot, all voters would get that ballot, and the top-two vote getters would move on to the general election. Many RINOs see this as a chance to broaden the party’s base and restore more traditional South Dakota values in government. The wackadoodles are generally opposed to the idea. "
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Listen to Joe Kirby and Tom Dempster on SDPB's IN THE MOMENT [9.11.24]
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The Attorney's General explanation and a cache of articles about the issue published over the last year.
via South Dakota Searchlight [9.8.24]
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Amendment H proponents claim that South Dakota’s primary election system is broken.
South Dakota Open Primaries chairman, Joe Kirby, said, “South Dakota’s closed primary election system, the same used in New York and New Jersey, is designed to produce good, competitive races in a healthy two-party system. Unfortunately, our two-party system disappeared years ago when the South Dakota Democrat party became mostly irrelevant.” He went on to say, “It is worth noting that none of our neighboring states use that sort of closed primary system.”
De Knudson, Treasurer of South Dakota Open Primaries, said, “Our closed primary system is not fair to the 153,000 independent voters in the state. They deserve to have a voice in selecting the people who will lead the state. After all, democracy works best when all voters get to vote.”
Kirby said, “Under our closed primary election system, the only voters who usually matter are those who turn up for the June Republican primary. This year only 17% of registered voters were motivated to vote, and their political philosophies appear to be well to the right of mainstream South Dakota values. That is a threat to our state’s favorable business climate.”
Drey Samuelson, who along with Kirby and Knudson is a sponsor of Amendment H, is the former chief of staff for Democrat US Senator Tim Johnson. He said, “Democrat party leaders are out of touch with regular South Dakota Democrats. Their opposition to Amendment H is ridiculous. There are very few competitive political races in the state anymore. All voters, including Democrats and independents, should have a meaningful voice in selecting the state’s leaders.”
Kirby said, “South Dakota politics is controlled by special interests, hard liners and party bosses. They don’t like Amendment H because it would take political power back from them and return it to the voters where it belongs. But polls like the ones conducted by South Dakota Newswatch show that most South Dakotans are in favor.”
Amendment H: Top-two primary elections creates an open South Dakota primary. No more Republican primary or Democratic primary. All candidates on a single ballot. All voters get that ballot. The top-two vote getters advance to the general election. It covers the governor as well as congressional, legislative and county offices. Most importantly, all voters get to vote.
Kirby also said, “Our big challenge in the next couple of months is to make voters aware of Amendment H and how it works. We have a number of volunteers in our speakers bureau who are eager to explain it to groups around the state. Contact us at sdopenprimaries.org.”
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Find us on Wikipedia
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Via The Dakota Scout [8.23.24]
"The assertions that Open Primaries will turn South Dakota into California or Minnesota aren’t true.
Voting yes will give great choices and better opportunities for voters on Election Day. "
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"Open primaries levels the playing field. Everyone gets to vote. Every vote matters. In districts with majority Republican numbers, why would the Dems deny their members the opportunity to vote in an election selecting which Republican would be acceptable to them?"
via The South Dakota Standard [8.13.24]
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"Amendment H represents a generational opportunity to ensure that everyone in our state has a voice in who is nominated for office. Please don’t listen to the Republican and Democratic party bosses who unanimously oppose it. It’s time to return control to “we the people!”"
via The Dakota Scout [8.10.24]
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via Dakota Broadcasting [7.15.24]
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But the 11th-hour attempt to prevent the amendment from appearing on the ballot was rejected by the state’s chief election official, according to South Dakota Open Primary Chair Joe Kirby - who says he received a call from the Secretary of State’s Office Monday afternoon.
He decried the effort as a last-ditch attempt to derail the amendment by “political elites.”
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via KMIT, Pierre SD [7.10.24]
Majority in favor: The poll showed that 55% of respondents favored the plan to change the state’s election format, with 33% opposed and 12% undecided. That’s a jump in support from a similarly structured November 2023 survey, which showed 49% supporting the measure, 34% opposed and 17% undecided.
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via The New York Times [6.25.24]
“The closed primary system is hard-wired to reward partisanship,” said Joe Kirby, a retired Sioux Falls business executive who is leading the South Dakota effort. “We want to have a Legislature that reflects South Dakota values,” — not the values, he said, of the 17 percent who turned out for this month’s primary election.
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via The Dakota Scout [6.15.24]
Card-carrying Republicans signal newfound openness to Open Primaries campaign.
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via South Dakota News Watch [6.12.24]
Amendment H would establish “top-two” primaries for governor, Congress and state legislative and county races rather than political parties conducting separate primary contests.
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Frustration with costs of poorly attended primaries could factor into a statewide ballot question this fall. Supporters of the open primaries measure say closed primaries such as those held only for Republicans disenfranchise large numbers of voters. Open primaries would include all candidates for an office running in one primary, regardless of their party.
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via South Dakota Searchlight [6.3.24]
Amendment H would open the primaries to all registered voters, regardless of party affiliation or the lack of party affiliation. All candidates would be on the ballot during the primary, with the top winners advancing to the November election. The advancing candidates could be from different parties or from the same party.
The open primaries change would apply to races for governor, the Legislature, U.S. Senate and House and elected county offices. As an example, in the case of the race for governor, the top two candidates would advance to the fall election. In the case of the South Dakota State House, where two candidates are elected in most districts, four candidates would advance.
The best part of Amendment H is that it opens the primary system to all registered voters, not just those affiliated with a political party. This is particularly important in the case of the Republican Party, which is dominant in South Dakota. Often positions are filled in Pierre and at the county level during the Republican Party primary if there are no independent or Democratic Party challengers.
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On Tuesday, Secretary of State Monae Johnson announced a third ballot question, changing the state constitution to establish a top-two primary, qualified for the November 2024 ballot. If not challenged in court in 30 days, the question will be listed on the November 2024 ballot as Constitutional Amendment H.
Democracy's Return to South Dakota via Let Us Vote
