Category: Uncategorized

Here we go.  Senator California Carley as joined by Representatives Aylward, Baxter, Jensen and Jordan who have put in a bill – Senate Bill 66 – to violate the voting rights of the disabled, and to deny them the use of assistive voting technology.

Why? Because the election conspiracists don’t like them? Those pesky disabled people with their federal laws guaranteeing their rights. It’s as if they view them as only an obstacle to the goofball crowd’s demands for the finger and toe counting of ballots.

As posted to the LRC’s website:

2026 South Dakota Legislature
Senate Bill 66

An Act to prohibit the use of automatic tabulating equipment and electronic ballot marking systems.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of South Dakota:

Section 1. That a NEW SECTION be added to chapter 12-1:

The State Board of Elections may not authorize the use of any automatic tabulating equipment or electronic ballot marking system.

The governing body of a political subdivision having supervision of an election may not adopt, implement, or use any automatic tabulating or electronic ballot marking system in an election.

Read the rest of Carley & crew’s discriminatory measure here.

Underlining the problem with their nonsense – IT VIOLATES FEDERAL LAW. It always has!

Voting technologies designed to improve the accessibility of ballot marking, verifying, and casting for all voters are required by federal law. The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) and the undersigned organizations declare that any state or jurisdiction that terminates use of an accessible voting system is in clear violation of existing law and is at high risk of litigation.

And..

Accessible voting technologies currently in use for in person voting were designed to ensure that all eligible voters have access to a private and independent ballot. They are required by federal law, and their use is mandated in all local, state, and federal elections. Hand marked paper ballots are not accessible and do not meet the requirements of federal law. People with disabilities have the same right as their fellow Americans to cast a private and independent vote to ensure their voices are heard on every Election Day; it is the responsibility of state and local election officials to make this right a reality.

Read the 2022 letter from the National Disability Rights Network here.

So California Carley and the election conspiracist’s choice for Secretary of State – Heather Baxter – have introduced legislation to try to deny the ability to vote for a segment of our society, even though it is clearly and demonstrably against federal law?

What are these people thinking?

Johnson Unveils Property Tax Relief Plan

Sioux Falls, S.D. – Today, gubernatorial candidate and Congressman Dusty Johnson announced a comprehensive and responsible plan to deliver meaningful property tax relief to South Dakota homeowners beginning in 2027, making homeownership more affordable for seniors, hardworking families, and first-time homebuyers across the state.

“South Dakotans are getting squeezed by rising property taxes,” said Johnson. “My plan delivers for working families, seniors on a fixed income, and helps the next generation put down roots here in South Dakota. It keeps our state on solid financial footing, protects our law enforcement and public school funding, and provides real relief to every homeowner.”

Johnson’s fiscally responsible property tax relief plan includes the following:

• Annual $400 Property Tax Credit for Every Homeowner: Beginning in tax year 2027, every South Dakota homeowner would receive a $400 per-property tax credit, directly reducing their annual property tax bill. For a middle-class homeowner paying $2,000 per year in property taxes, the credit represents a 20% property tax cut.
• No Property Taxes for Two Years for First-Time Homebuyers: Young families are finding it increasingly difficult to buy their first home. Under Johnson’s plan, nearly all first-time homebuyers would receive a larger credit which would zero out property taxes for the first two years of homeownership.

“We don’t want the American dream to slip away,” Johnson continued. “We want young people to be able to afford that first home. My plan not only brings this dream closer for folks, it also provides immediate, broad-based relief to homeowners of all ages, without defunding schools, public safety, or infrastructure.”

Johnson’s plan is fully paid for by using funds from the sales tax change in current law, which comes into effect in 2027.

To learn more about Johnson’s property tax relief plan, please click here.

From facebook, Congressman Dusty Johnson is offering his property tax relief plan, focusing on directing the relief towards owner-occupied properties. (as opposed to giving Ted Turner a tax break).

Off the cuff cliff notes are that the plan includes:

– Annual $400 property tax credit for owner-occupied homeowners
– No property taxes for first-time homebuyers for the first two years.

What do you think? Is this more realistic than just ending property taxes with no details on how to replace the revenue or cut spending?

The Secretary of State’s office has proposed adopting printers that will produce ballots on demand in local precincts after changes in South Dakota law to make sure that the proper ballot is given to voters when they go to vote with the combination of school and municipal races with the primary and general election races.

According to a story on KELOland news:

Brown County Auditor Lynn Heupel said the change would be beneficial for both voters and election workers.

“With the ballot on demand, what would happen is they pull that voter up and select that voter, it would automatically print their ballot for them so there wouldn’t be any possible confusion of picking the wrong ballot for the voter,” Heupel told KELOLAND News Tuesday.

and..

In 2025, the legislature passed a law that requires districts to combine municipal and school board elections with either the primary or general election.

Read the entire story here.

The changes in South Dakota Law have made a challenging situation for elections officials at the school, municipal, and county levels even more difficult with the addition of more races in counties. School district boundaries and city maps don’t always match up with county lines. And breaking it down even further are different ballots needed for Independents, Republicans and Democrats within the June primary. Oh! And throw precinct level races here and there.

You’re talking about dozens or more of different ballots needed in one election in one county.  What elderly precinct worker is going to be able to figure out which ballot they’re going to need?  As opposed to hitting a button, and printing out the ballot with the correct races.

It’s not new technology, they use it in multiple states right now. But due to the additional complexity we’ve added to the ballot and the burden we’ve placed on election staff, it’s practically a necessity now.

In case you’d forgotten about my story on Toby Doeden’s PAC getting into the TIF election in Rapid City, after he had received his own TIF in Aberdeen, the Rapid City Journal has quite a large article on it today:

Proponents of the Destination District TIF point to what they consider a contradiction in the Doeden-connected PAC joining the “no” vote fray: In 2023, the Aberdeen City Council approved a Tax Increment Financing district for a housing project by a Doeden-owned business in the Brown County city.

and..

“You can’t, on one hand, use the thing that you’re condemning and then profit off of it. It’s just two-faced. You’re talking out of both ends of your mouth,” Jordan Mason, a “yes” campaign proponent and former Rapid City Council member, told the Journal. “It’s hypocritical.”

and..

The Doeden campaign staffer told the Journal, “Mr. Doeden is entirely open to the idea of new development projects to diversify and grow the economy. These decisions should be left to the local community to decide.” They added after follow-up questions, “He is no longer affiliated with the organization.”

Go read the entire article here.

So, Toby is open to projects “to grow the economy” that he’s making money on? But no one else?

Got it.

Thune: Republicans’ Focus on Appropriations Delivers Results

“[L]et’s get fiscal year 2026 funding done and keep up the progress as we begin the process for fiscal year 2027.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor: 

Click here to watch the video.

Attorney General Jackley Announces Aberdeen Man Indicted on 85 Criminal Counts When Committed as a State Employee

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces an Aberdeen man has now been indicted on 85 total felony and misdemeanor counts that include Solicitation of Second Degree Rape, Possession of Child Pornography, Dissemination of Image or Recording – Victim Seventeen Years of Age or Under, and Unlawful Use of a Computer System while he was a former employee of the State Driver Licensing Office in Aberdeen.

Mark Rathbun, 68, was re-indicted Wednesday by a Brown County Grand Jury. The new indictment supersedes a November indictment when the defendant had been indicted on three felony counts of Solicitation of Second-Degree Rape, Possession of Child Pornography, and Unlawful Use of a Computer System. He faces a combined maximum sentence of 395 years in either prison or the county jail if convicted on all the charges.

“The additional charges are a result of our continuing investigation, and we have now identified approximately 50 alleged victims,” said Attorney General Jackley. “We continue to review images found on his electronic devices and will reach out to potential victims for notification.”

Attorney General Jackley said images of confidential driver’s licensing information were found on Rathbun’s personal devices.

The investigation and prosecution are being conducted by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.

The defendant’s next court appearance on the superseding indictment will be scheduled soon.  He is presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.

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From a press release issued today, former State Legislator Dan Kaiser of Aberdeen has announced that he is running for Brown County Sheriff:

Aberdeen, SD — With more than two decades of dedicated service in law enforcement, military leadership, and public service, today Dan Kaiser announced his commitment to serve as Brown County Sheriff, bringing a proven record of leadership, accountability, and community-focused policing.

Currently serving on the administrative team at the Aberdeen Police Department, Dan Kaiser oversees officer hiring and mentoring, development, manages critical investigations involving crimes against children, and departmental policy development to ensure compliance, clarity, and professionalism.
His work emphasizes protecting the most vulnerable while strengthening public trust through transparency and effective operations.

In addition to his law enforcement career, Dan Kaiser brings valuable legislative and policy experience from his service as a South Dakota State Representative, where he served on the Judiciary, Transportation, Education, and Taxation Committees. This experience provides him with a strong understanding of the legal framework governing public safety agencies and the importance of interagency cooperation.

Read the entire press release here.

Jackley Breaks Another Fundraising Record in Q4

Pierre: Today, Attorney General Marty Jackley announced his campaign committee raised over $500,000 in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Jackley has now raised over $1 million in the first six months of his campaign- a record for a South Dakota Congressional race primary. Over 90% of Jackley’s contributions are from individual South Dakotans.

“I am humbled by the continued outpouring of support our campaign has received,” said Jackley. “We are off to a record-breaking start, but we won’t take anything for granted and will keep working hard to earn the vote of South Dakotans.”

Jackley continues to build strong momentum and is the clear favorite in the race for Congress. A recent independent poll sponsored by South Dakota News Watch showed Attorney General Marty Jackley with a massive 52 point lead. Jackley leads his closest opponent 57% to 5%.

Jackley’s full campaign finance report will be filed by the FEC deadline of January 31, 2026.

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Deadwood Didn’t Build South Dakota Gaming Just to Hand It to Washington
By George Milos

South Dakota’s gaming industry was built by South Dakotans—by the voters who approved it, by the regulators who oversee it, and by the local communities who rely on it. For decades, our state has set the gold standard for responsible gaming because we’ve insisted on one thing above all else: local control.

That tradition goes back long before modern casinos. Deadwood has been South Dakota’s gaming capital since the frontier era, a place where miners, card players, and risk-takers shaped a culture rooted in fairness and accountability. When South Dakotans voted in 1988 to bring gaming back to Deadwood, they did so with intention, reviving both the town’s historic spirit and a vital economic engine for our entire state.

Since then, our gaming system has operated under strict state-regulated rules that protect consumers and support our communities. South Dakota’s casinos generate jobs, drive tourism, and deliver millions in tax revenue that funds schools, infrastructure upgrades, addiction services, and historic preservation. Every wager placed inside our borders strengthens South Dakota.

Washington is now trying to rewrite the rules. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has begun approving online prediction market platforms that allow people to bet on everything from sports to elections, claiming these wagers are “financial contracts.” That’s just language designed to confuse us. What they are offering is gambling by another name. And gambling regulation has always been, and must remain, the responsibility of the states, not federal agencies.

This federal overreach directly undermines South Dakota sovereignty. Prediction market companies operating under CFTC permission don’t answer to the South Dakota Gaming Commission, don’t follow our consumer protection standards, and, critically, don’t contribute a single dollar in state gaming taxes. That means lost revenue for our schools, our roads, our public safety programs, and our historic communities like Deadwood. While South Dakota businesses play by the rules, these offshore-like platforms get a free pass from federal regulators who have no stake in our state’s future.

The CFTC was created to regulate commodities like wheat, corn, and cattle—not to backdoor federal control over gambling. By enabling unregulated prediction markets, the agency is stepping far outside its lane and creating a black-market alternative that competes with our lawful, heavily regulated, locally accountable gaming industry.

South Dakotans chose a careful, responsible path when we legalized sports wagering in 2020. We built a system that reflects our values and protects our people. If changes are needed, those decisions should be made in Pierre, not in Washington boardrooms of unelected bureaucrats who know nothing about our state.

The Deadwood Gaming Association urges federal regulators to respect state control, honor South Dakota’s long-standing approach to responsible gaming, and put an end to this dangerous overreach. Our gaming heritage, and the communities that depend on it, deserve nothing less.

South Dakota built this industry. We will continue to protect it.

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George Milos is the executive director of the Deadwood Gaming Association