Chairman Wiik Joins Governor Noem in Banning Rank Choice Voting in South Dakota
PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA – Chairman John Wiik, Vice Chairman Mary Fitzgerald and Representative Kirk Chaffee (R-29) joined Governor Kristi Noem as she signed Senate Bill 55. SB 55 is a bill to prohibit rank choice voting in South Dakota.
“I am grateful for Governor Noem’s leadership on this bill” said Chairman John Wiik “The South Dakota Republican Party is proud to have played an important role in preventing rank choice voting in our state.”
The bill was officially signed into law on Tuesday March 21, 2023 along with 12 other election bills.
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A good example of our government protecting us because they believe we as a people are not smart. We cannot be trusted to fill out a ballot saying “Person X is my first choice, person Y is my second choice, and person Z is my third choice.”
a good election is like a crash landing where the results land wherever they will. this smells like keeping a firm hand on the stick, so we make it to the right airport each time. sorry.
You’re right about the current system being a crash landing, but rank choice would be making it to the right airport.
There are various senses people use to judge food, maybe you should use more than just a first impression analysis for something as important as voting. However, if you like the established power I understand why you wouldn’t care to change.
So, if a county wants to avoid district county commissioner runoff elections and the expense where 500 votes might be cast, they can’t. So much for local control.
Our Legislature loves to prove local control is just a myth.
If local governments were allowed to implement instant-runoff voting, South Dakota citizens would find out how efficient and inexpensive it is. Then they’d want it for other elections.
More South Dakota Freedom!
Thank goodness the government knows what is good for us. I just cant trust myself and need the supervision.
For leaders like these, freedom is more than just a word.
It’s a campaign slogan.
They’ll defend our God-given right to liberty as long as we do exactly what they say.
Barf… Let’s hear it for “freedom” in South Dakota, which always seems to come with an asterisk these days.
It’s clear — at least to me — that the only thing the two major parties hate worse than each other is the possibility of a third party gaining traction. Ranked-choice voting eliminates the threat of spoilers, and that terrifies the party bosses who continue to push the bogus narrative of “too important of an election to throw away your vote on a third party”… every… single… election cycle.
Methinks Sen. Wiik won’t be satisfied until the state constitution is amended to establish single-party rule, with him as its chairman. (Comrade Wiik has a nice ring to it.) He ought to be ashamed for bringing this cowardly, steaming pile of manure, and the legislature should be ashamed for passing it.
Love you Gideon but no one is worried about a third party.
I don’t understand why Wiik is chair but it’s not because of this bill. It’s because he’s like a child in his attitude.
If it’s not about suppressing third parties and independents, then what is it about? Ranked choice only matters in cases where there are more than two candidates running for a seat, so if we’re talking about general elections, that is pretty much always going to be a Libertarian or an independent.
Sure, you’re absolutely right that they aren’t “worried” about third-parties… especially when they can keep making rules to keep them from growing. This isn’t exactly a new thing. The state has a long history of trying to quash minor parties. The only reason minor parties are even allowed to exist in South Dakota is because the courts stepped in and forced the state to loosen their unduly tight requirements on them. (See Libertarian Party of South Dakota v. Krebs, 2016)
Thanks for your comments, Gideon. Referring to ranked-choice voting as “rank” choice voting confirms the comment from Anonymous at 6:28 that Chairman Wiik is like a child.
Pat—Who’s that other fellow in the picture?? Is that the Governor’s husband and, if so, what’s he have to do with ranked choice voting??
LOL, this guy… The issues in Alaska was that Palin lost her election, and couldn’t accept it. Which now that I think of it, seems to be a common thread in politics lately.
Leave Hillary alone.
oh we know who anon 12:58 meant lol … we know in a bigly way, probably the most incredible way anyone has ever known something
Leave Sarah Palin alone. Let’s not turn this state into California where normal people are leaving; burdensome regulation, higher taxes, higher crime, black-outs & brown-outs and nuts and fruits. I don’t mean agriculture.