Democrat Convention do-over; August 10. Can they do a do-over?

Don’t you hate it when your convention results stink?  What do you do?

Really. What do you do? Republicans are saddled with Heather Baxter for Secretary of State, and I’m sure I’ve got a potted plant around here or one of my dogs that could fill in nicely.  But it doesn’t work this way. The majority has spoken. The results were certified, and we all move forward.

Except in the case of the State Democrat party. They’re having what you might call a “do-over” convention and they’ve provided notice to the Secretary of State that they’re getting together via zoom to make it happen:

The rumor is that they are going to try to fill the blank spot in the Attorney General race they left empty. And who knows, maybe they could dump some of their turkey candidates and put better ones in there.  But doesn’t that kind of go against Democratic principles?

Noting the language in their 7/20 letter…

ln accordance with SDCL 12-5-17, this letter serves to notify the South Dakota Secretary of State’s Office that the South Dakota Democratic Party will convene its biennial State Convention on Monday, August 10,2026 at 7:00 P.M. CDT.

This is not the first time they’ve cited this law. Because here’s the prior notice..

In accordance with SDCL 12-5-17, this letter serves to notify the South Dakota Secretary of State’s Office that the South Dakota Democratic Party will convene its biennial State Convention on Saturday June 6, 2026 at 12:00 P.M. CDT. The 2026 South Dakota Democratic Party State Convention will take place at the Best Western Plus Ramkota Hotel located at 3200 W Maple Street in Sioux Falls.

Two conventions? What does the law they’re citing – 12-5-17 have to say about it?

12-5-17. Biennial state conventions–Time and place–Notice to secretary of state.

Each political party shall hold a state convention in each even-numbered year for the purposes stated in § 12-5-21. The state central committee of each political party shall determine the time and place of the convention. The chair of the committee shall notify the secretary of state at least fifteen business days prior to the date chosen.

Read that here.

Following the nomination is the certification of candidates:

12-5-22. Majority required for nomination by convention–Certification to secretary of state.

Nominations by a state convention shall be made by a majority vote of the votes cast and shall be certified to the secretary of state by the officers of the convention, within three days of the close of the convention. No certification may be received by the secretary of state later than the second Tuesday in August.

Read that here.

In fact, here’s the document they filed:

Looking at SDCL 12-5-17, here’s what I notice..

Each political party shall hold a state convention in each even-numbered year.

In a plain reading of the statute, I take a State Convention to be singular. As in one.     Giving further support to the finality of the convention, I look to that second statute, 12-5-22.

Nominations by a state convention shall be made by a majority vote of the votes cast and shall be certified to the secretary of state by the officers of the convention, within three days of the close of the convention.

Which they did, as they certified the results of the convention after the close of the convention.

Yet now South Dakota Democrats want to come back for another bite at the apple and to have another convention. I’m not familiar with any precedent for a political party conducting dual-conventioning when they decided they didn’t care for their results and sought a do-over.

If that’s the case, why haven’t we had it successfully happen in the past?  This looks like the party bosses trying to substitute their judgement for those of the broader Democrat flock.

I have no doubt that this will end up in court potentially delaying the ballot as it’s fought over.