For the last several years, I had produced the SDGOP Newsletter, including a special convention edition that was distributed at the SDGOP Convention. Since I’m no longer doing that, I thought I’d share one of the most interesting items that I would regularly include in it; a history of the South Dakota Republican Party’s conventions.
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Project BISON Achieves Milestone: Contracts Signed with Sierra-Cedar and Oracle
PIERRE, S.D. – The Bureau of Finance and Management (BFM) has taken a crucial step toward modernizing the State of South Dakota’s financial processes through Project BISON. Last week, BFM secured Oracle Fusion Cloud as its new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and selected Sierra-Cedar to lead the implementation of Project BISON.
Project BISON is spearheading a significant financial transition by replacing a 36-year-old system with a state-of-the-art, cloud-based ERP solution. The new ERP system will integrate all financial functions into a centralized platform, ensuring that all agencies work from a unified data set. This advanced technology will enable State financial staff to access accurate, real-time financial data with just a few clicks. This collaborative effort across all State agencies will leverage their collective expertise to design, test, and implement the new system alongside Sierra-Cedar, ensuring its longevity for decades to come.
The need to update state government’s financial operations has been a long-standing discussion due to the aging nature of existing systems and limited vendor support. The current core financial system, in use since 1988, has undergone numerous extensions to its critical infrastructure, however it now requires a comprehensive replacement. A feasibility study completed in January 2022 confirmed the necessity for a financial system overhaul.
“Governor Noem understands the importance of modernizing the financial system for the State of South Dakota,” said BFM Commissioner, Jim Terwilliger. “Not only that, but she also recognized the need for Project BISON to receive appropriate support to ensure successful implementation.”
Senate Bill 23 was introduced during the 2023 Legislative Session to support this project. The bill was approved by both the Senate and House of Representatives with widespread bipartisan support and was signed into law by Governor Noem on March 27, 2023.
Following over a year of planning, Request for Proposal (RFP) development, on-site demonstrations from multiple system integrators, and examining ERP systems, the Project BISON evaluation committee selected Sierra-Cedar to implement Oracle Fusion Cloud as the modern financial system of record for the State of South Dakota. Contracts with Sierra-Cedar and Oracle were signed by BFM Commissioner Terwilliger and Bureau of Information and Telecommunications (BIT) Commissioner Clines.
“We anticipate kicking off Project BISON to state employees in July 2024,” said BFM Commissioner Terwilliger. “This project is expected to go live in FY27, bringing with it a modern ERP system and financial processes following industry best practices.”
To read more about Project BISON and sign up for project updates, visit https://www.sd.gov/bison.
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Rounds, Durbin Introduce Legislation to Protect Rural Postal Processing Facilities
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) today introduced legislation that would require the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to consider consequences for rural areas during their closure or downsizing review process in order to protect rural mail processing facilities.
USPS’s reviews of processing facilities closures does not require them to consider the impact on rural areas or highly rural areas as long as the closure gains efficiencies. However, USPS’s reviews of post office retail locations does require them to answer whether closing the location is consistent with their obligation to provide effective and regular postal services to rural areas. This legislation would require USPS to consider the impact to rural areas when closing or downsizing processing centers, just as they do with closing post office retail locations.
“Rural mail services are a lifeline for residents of many communities across South Dakota,” said Rounds. “The U.S. Postal Service should be required to consider the impact of closing processing facilities on rural residents, just as they consider it when closing retail locations. I’m pleased to be introducing this legislation to make certain rural residents receive their mail in a timely and efficient manner.”
“If I drop a piece of mail off in Springfield to make it across town, why should it have to go all the way to St. Louis and back? Eliminating mail processing centers across our state, without consideration for the impact on mail service and postal employees, will only decimate USPS. It is yet another instance of Postmaster General DeJoy’s ‘Delivering for America’ plan disastrously missing the mark,” said Durbin. “I’m joining Senator Rounds in introducing legislation requiring USPS to study the effects of closing or consolidating mail processing and shipping facilities to ensure that our postal service serves Illinoisans to the best of its abilities.”
This legislation is cosponsored by Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.).
BACKGROUND:
– As part of its Delivering for America plan, USPS is reviewing every processing and distribution center in the nation with the goal of creating efficiencies by reducing services at some centers and eliminating others.
– There are three USPS processing facilities in South Dakota: Huron, Rapid City and Sioux Falls.
– In February 2024, USPS finalized a plan to move all non-local processing at the Huron facility to Fargo, North Dakota.
– In April 2024, USPS finalized a plan to move all non-local processing at the Sioux Falls facility to Omaha, Nebraska.
– In April 2024, Rounds led a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy urging the postal service to avoid downsizing or significantly reorganizing mail processing operations in South Dakota.
– In May 2024, Rounds sends follow up letter to Postmaster DeJoy highlighting continued concerns with USPS’ plans to downsize mail processing centers nationwide.
– In May 2024, following bipartisan pressure from Senators, USPS announced it is pausing the downsizing of mail processing facilities in South Dakota.
Click HERE for full bill text.
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South Dakota’s senior US Senator John Thune has been spending part of this last week carrying water for the elephant on a national basis, as he was out raising money for key US Senate battleground contests:
On Friday, he traveled to Nevada to fundraise for Army veteran Sam Brown, the Republican establishment pick to challenge Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) in the fall. Thune spent the next two days in Montana to support Republican businessman Tim Sheehy, who is expected to advance in Tuesday’s GOP primary for Sen. Jon Tester’s (D-MT) seat.
and..
“This is a make-or-break moment, really, for the country and an opportunity to get a Republican majority,” Thune, the Senate minority whip, said in a phone interview from Montana. “Everybody’s doing what they can — it’s a team effort — and we’re trying to contribute where we can help out.”
A large part of Thune’s efforts are geared toward the National Republican Senatorial Committee. He’s raised more for the campaign arm than any other senator this cycle besides its chairman, Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT).
Good on Senator Thune!
In the middle of all the primary elections, I did hear word that the Yankton County GOP had action taken against them by the South Dakota Republican Party’s Executive Board in an emergency meeting last night.
As I was told, they were summarily removed from the roster of active Republican County groups. Coming after their passage of bylaws where they declared themselves to be independent of the GOP, I’m not sure what they thought was going to happen.
Guess they fooled around and found out. And deservedly so.
Again, if you’re wondering why there was such a wild ride last night, here’s the difference that turnout makes:
In 2022, we had US Senate, Congress, and Governor at the top of the ticket for 32% turnout.
Last night, legislators were at the top of the ticket. And we had 17%, culminating in wildly disparate results in the lowest turnout primary election of the last decade thirty years!
*Update* I checked the turnout, and it was lowest as long as they’ve recorded it – in 3 decades. (I made a chart)
| YEAR | TURNOUT % OF REG. |
| 1994 | 42.10% |
| 1996 | 28.80% |
| 1998 | 20.10% |
| 2000 | 19.00% |
| 2002 | 42.00% |
| 2004 | 56.70% |
| 2006 | 18.96% |
| 2008 | 37.20% |
| 2010 | 20.00% |
| 2012 | 19.02% |
| 2014 | 19.22% |
| 2016 | 21.27% |
| 2018 | 26.57% |
| 2020 | 28.22% |
| 2022 | 32.09% |
| 2024 | 17.09% |
And what does that give you? You have candidates who literally did absolutely nothing, such as Jeff Struwe in D7 House and Rick Weible in D8 Senate with 27% and 28% of the vote:
As I noted last night – the dead cat bounce was wildly inflated in the contest by the low turnout. About 10% higher, by my reckoning.
West River felt this effect the strongest in a near massacre of conservative Republican candidates being turned out by the far, far right.
Senator Erin Tobin was squeaked out by self-declared end-time army member Mykala Voita. If Democrats had any smarts, they’d look to replace their multiple contest losing candidate on the ballot, Dan Andersson, with a known candidate, such as one of the Suttons, because they could take this. This went from being a safe seat for the GOP into one in play. Alternatively, I wonder if Erin could run under the Libertarian banner for a rematch contest in the fall. Hmm..
*Bright spot here* – Lee Qualm doesn’t get another chance to bring his style of ethics back to Pierre, and instead D21 gets good guy Jim Halverson. That was a win.
District 28 brought us some killing fields. 3 solid Republicans Susan Peterson for Senate, Ryan Maher for D28A House, and Travis Martin for D28B House all fell. Belle Fourche is going to be represented by Travis Ismay? That’s what you get when people don’t show up.
District 29 turned out both incumbents. Well respected Kirk Chaffee was turned out by Californian John Carley? South Dakota Hall of Fame member Gary Cammack was turned out by Kathy Rice?
*Huge bright spot in D30* – Eventually people did get tired of the antics of goofball Senator Julie Frye-Mueller, as she got schooled by not-crazy newcomer Amber Hulse.
D31 remained stable, returning Randy Deibert to the Senate, and returning Fitzgerald & Odenbach to the house. But again – the dead cat bounce was crazy high. There’s no way in a normal environment that red-baiting goofball Kate Crowley Johnson should have gotten 41%. Same with Mark “election conspiracy” Mowry at 27%. These are 18-20% candidates, tops in a normal environment.
D32 was another port in the storm, rejecting John Robert James, the BDubs guy, for Steve Duffy and Brook Kaufman.
However, the remaining districts were a slaughter house.
In D33, we lost David Johnson to Curt Voight in the Senate. In D34, Taffy Howard managed to barely squeak out a win against a solid Jason Green. AND how on earth did we lose the always hard-working Becky Drury to Heather Baxter in D34 House?
And the carnage wasn’t complete yet, as in D35, Michael Walsh fell to Greg Blanc for Senate.
What does all this mean for the GOP?
Statewide, both the House and the Senate offering to the public in the fall took a lurch to the right, and some seats that were safe going into the fall have turned into possibilities for the other team where there are Democrats available to contest them. With the division in the party, this could be the where the SDGOP’s exclusive lock on offices starts to crumble.
Also moving towards the fall, I think you might watch for the top-two primary effort to find some boost to their efforts to move South Dakota to a jungle primary, as the shockingly low turnout has given credence to their arguments that the current system gives us the most extreme choices. It makes it more challenging to argue against that point.
This fall will also be a much different election as well; instead of a low-turnout primary, it will be a high-turnout presidential contest with everyone voting… and coming off of the textbook example the exact reason why they are arguing for open primaries.
Add to that mix of the political environment that the surge in facebook populist candidates taking over the GOP has literally strangled the party for fundraising. It’s hard to contest a ballot measure when no one is donating.
Pull up your folding chair for the fall elections. After this bloody primary battle, you may have a seat to watch a sea change in South Dakota politics this fall.
Have you ever wondered what kind of election you would have if nobody was on the top of the ticket, and nobody really cared?
That would be what we ended up with tonight for the 2024 primary election campaign. As we wait for many results to roll in from West River, it’s 11 o’clock at night, and we have yet to hit 13% voter turnout.
It’s bad. Not just a little bad, but really distorted from what we might logically expect from election results. Let me show you one of my bellwether elections that I’ve been watching;
This is the race where election conspiracy fetishist Rick Weible ran against Senate majority leader Casey Crabtree.
Senator Crabtree ran a reasonably strong and effective campaign in his race as an incumbent to return to the leader ship of the State Senate. Rick Weible didn’t.
In fact, Weible literally did nothing except run an bad joint ad in the local shopper paper that never changed, and the highlight of his campaign was him talking about how his life was in danger from knowing secrets about election equipment.
Yet somehow, in spite of his doing nothing but occasional goofiness, Weible achieved 28% of the vote. The previous ‘dead cat bounce’ in typical years, where a candidate could run against a dead cat, and the dead cat would receive 18 to 20% of the vote, has been elevated closer to 30% because of the unusually low turnout, amplifying the influence of the hard hard right.
And it is playing some electoral chaos so far this evening with no fewer than six incumbents unseated with shocking results in other races as I write this.
These results would not be happening two years from now with possibly three major primary contests ahead of the legislative races. But in a year when most people didn’t even realize there was an election, the unexpected is status quo.
Keep watching the results. Because I’m sure the ride isn’t even close to being over.