By South Dakota voters will decide Nov. 5 whether to open the state’s primary elections to all voters, regardless of political affiliation.
Recaps of all of seven ballot measures will be published in The Aberdeen Insider throughout October. Find information about all of the proposals at southdakotasearchlight.com. Click on the brown voter guide button at the top of the page on the right.
Amendment H would establish a top-two primary election system.
Attorney general’s explanation
Currently, to appear on the general election ballot, major party candidates for the following offices must participate in a partisan primary election — governor, State Legislature, U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, and elected county offices. Only members of the candidate’s party can vote for that candidate unless that party has opened the primary to voters not affiliated with the party.
Minor party candidates may be chosen by primary or at party conventions.
Unaffiliated candidates (independents) are only required to file nominating petitions to appear on the general election ballot.
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This amendment requires one primary election wherein all candidates run against each other in their respective races, including major and minor party and unaffiliated candidates. A candidate can list any party next to their name on the ballot, regardless of party affiliation or registration.
All voters may vote for any candidate. The two candidates receiving the most votes advance to the general election. If there is more than one candidate to be elected to an office, the number of candidates advancing to the general election is twice the number to be elected.
Primary elections can be held for other offices.
The amendment may be challenged on constitutional grounds.
Vote yes to adopt the amendment.
Vote no to leave the constitution as it is.
Official pro and con statements
The South Dakota Secretary of State’s Office is directed by state law to publish pro and con statements from a proponent and opponent of each ballot question.
Pro statement
Amendment H will make sure every South Dakota voter has a voice in who leads our state, taking power from party bosses and returning it to the voters.
Amendment H creates one South Dakota primary. All candidates would be on a single primary ballot, all voters would receive that ballot and the top two vote-getters would advance to the general election. Most importantly, all voters would get to vote!
Currently, 150,000 independent or unaffiliated voters in South Dakota are excluded from taxpayer-funded primary elections. Amendment H ensures that everyone has a meaningful voice in who leads our state by letting all voters vote in the primary elections.
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Our closed primary system isn’t working anymore. Only 17% of South Dakota’s voters participated in June’s primary election, so it’s no surprise that politicians aren’t listening to voters — they are only accountable to powerful interests who dominate the primaries.
Amendment H would boost turnout and competitive elections, so politicians are more likely to act on items that have broad public support.
The bottom line is Amendment H would shift power from party bosses back to the voters. It would fix an unfair system that silences the voices of 150,000 South Dakota independent voters. It would increase voter participation in elections and make our system fairer. And it would rationalize our politics and ensure elected officials focus on what’s best for all South Dakotans.
-Joe Kirby, chairman of South Dakota Open Primaries; De Knudson, Republican and Sioux Falls City councilor; and Drey Samuelson, former chief of staff to U.S. Senator Tim Johnson.
Con statement
Political parties are foundational elements of self-government. Parties play a crucial role in every functional self-government around the world. They have played a critical role in the history of our country and our state.
Parties of all kinds and in all places examine government and society, make choices on governmental policy, and give confidence to voters that officeholders will act along those precepts.
For example, the abolition of slavery was the founding principle of the Republican Party. Candidates and officeholders were able to align alongside that ideal and give voters confidence that Republican candidates were anti-slavery.
Parties choosing platforms, followed by primaries in which candidates are chosen by members who support those ideals, is a founding principle of modern political debate and of self-government. Open primaries might well destroy the effectiveness of our system of government by allowing outsiders to participate in selecting candidates to run for office. This idea may well substantially weaken the ability of voters to choose officeholders who truly represent their values and ideals.
Both major parties in our state oppose Amendment H.
-John Wiik, South Dakota Republican Party