From Facebook, State Rep. Fred Deutsch who was not successful in moving to the State Senate this last month offers his thoughts on the recount process, as well as his support for our current system of electronic ballot counting:
POST-ELECTION THOUGHTS: Because so many friends and supporters asked me to go through the election recount, I opted to oblige. Six different recount committees were established, one in each county in my District.
As far as the process, each ballot was individually reviewed by the committee, along with simultaneous review by me and my opponent. They were then hand-counted, and then fed into the tabulator machine.
The hand-count, the tabulator count, and the Election Day tabulator count all matched in each county except for a few voter errors (e.g. one voter put a check mark in the oval instead of filling it in). As a result, I gained a single vote – – not near enough to impact the results.
There are some people in our state who are concerned with the accuracy of these machines. After going through this pain-staking process looking at each ballot, I have zero concerns about accuracy.
Six different machines with six different auditors were all bulls-eye accurate each time, except for a few human errors.
I’m grateful the process exists to allow candidates to request recounts in close elections, and I’m grateful to the people in each county (18 people total) who gave up time to make sure our election was accurate. The entire process was professional and transparent, and frankly made me proud to be a South Dakotan.
The first an only rational thought of dush I’ve heard and it’s still an extremist form with his “zero“ questions. I mean I agree, but, I – hope – he can make it his new passion instead of discriminating against what others choose to consume and how others choose to live their healthy lives or live their fullest potential. He should quit trying to control who people are and want to be. He’s mean and judgmental.
Wow I’ve met this man multiple times and he may be the NICEST out of all the legislators I’ve met. I’ve never even had the thought of him being mean and judgemental…he takes pride in his Jewish ancestry and is greatful to have transitioned into Christianity. He may be more of a extremist but he’s all inclusive and doesn’t judge…he listens.
It’s great you didn’t address the original premise at all. Can you tell us more about Fred’s religion and how it is forced upon us all? At least he is NICE when he does it, right?
Good grief. Have you ever met Fred? He is not mean. He listens. He is educated on issues. He’s passionate.
He’s one of the biggest homophobes in the state.
That’s as fake as saying Biden has a brain. Clearly you don’t know the guy.
Met him twice, both times introduced himself as a medical expert, which he isn’t.
He’s a licensed chiropractor.
Exactly
So you consider an acupuncturist a surgeon?
When i weiged 300lbs i could have called myself a dietician.
Best LOL of the day, +1.
Leah Anderson supports electronic counting also after her debacle during the primary.
When her hand count was off she just acted like she didn’t need to reconcile what was wrong. She’s an idiot.
The county commission needs to hold her to her own flipping standards and get her to reconcile the discrepancies.
Also what the heck is she doing saying the previous election was off 30k votes?
And is the commission really going to let her not count motor voters votes? Talk about corrupt.
Now she’s saying she isn’t going to hand count the general? The commission should make her do it. She shouldn’t be able to run away from her own opinions just because it’s suddenly too much work for her.
It would be good to hold her accountable, but they are required to pay the workers that would be doing the count. Tax money would be wasted to teach her a lesson.
Paying more money for poorer results. The John Dale Way.
Hmmmm…..I wonder where all these conspiracy theorists are getting their inspiration and their “alternative facts” information about stolen and fraudulent elections all across America? Could it possibly be coming from the Election Denier In Chief and his 24/7 alternative facts media universe?
Freedom Caucus, South Dakota Canvassing.
Trump Campaign = “Stop The Steal” Remember? It was one big grift but many went down that rabbit hole and we are still paying the price nationally and in South Dakota. Trump still claims everything is rigged and stolen.
Trump rapes 13 yr olds. His cultists will still vote for the convicted felon and rapist.
Trump is not a child rapist, get a life. “Convicted felon” is a paperwork violation of miscategorizing an expense. I’m not the biggest fan of Trump, but you need to be honest.
Epsteins court docs say otherwise.
I guess that explains why he didn’t want the docs released.
He lied about expenses repeatedly and attempted to obfuscate the flow of business dollars.
That’s fraud.
Plain and simple.
You need to stop being willfully obtuse.
a jury found sufficient evidence to support the conviction of trump for the conspiracy to interfere with the 2016 presidential election, in the violations of ny law. take your complaint up with them.
And when his conviction gets thrown out because of numerous irregularities and violations of his rights, who is Ms. Enquirer going to complain to?
i’ll ask her
every campaign is a conspiracy to influence an election. That is precisely what campaigns are: a group of people who conspire to influence the outcome of an election.
Every person who puts a yard sign in front of his house is guilty of the same crime
No, they are not. Influencing an election is perfectly legal as long as all expenses are reported. Our laws don’t allow money to go to elections without being reported and transparent to all citizens. Trumps problem wasn’t that he paid off a porn star that he cheated on his wife with to keep her quiet. His problem was he was dumb enough to do it with a business check and not a personal check and then he attempted to hide those activities as business expenses and not campaign expenses. This blog posts those reports all the time and we hold everyone to those standards. Why shouldn’t Trump have to follow the rules?
One political extremist gone but unfortunately many more were won in the primary which will inflict even more social and economic costs on the state.
It is not the accuracy of the machines in question it is the corruptibility and manipulation of the machines that is the problem.
Corruptibility and manipulation, to what end? If not to alter the accuracy of the machines, for what purpose? If there is no evicence the machines tabulate anything other than the actual vote (i.e.100% accurate), what do you want to fix? Pie-in-the-sky potential problems?
That’s all they’ve ever had: a potential problem they cant prove or even provide a reasonable justification for. Just vague hand waving that demands more government spending.
2020 election Dusty got 50,000 more votes than and rounds got 20,000 more votes than Trump. That is suspicious.
So prove it. Dont demand my tax money on your vague suspicions.
My tax money is not for inaccurate, inefficient governance. You arent the only person with “rights,” you arrogant prick. Prove something is wrong with the current system and THEN get money. That’s how this should work.
So pay for these efforts yourself, then, and stop demanding this terrible marxist government take MY money to pay for YOUR hunches.
No it’s not when you think who Dusty was against. Try again canvASSer
So you’re ASSuming then. Trump was/is polarizing to say the least, even his supporters acknowledge that his behavior turns some people off. Dusty is well liked and very productive for SD, and ran against a complete no-name from a minor party. A little bit of context and thinking it through goes a long way.
To what end? To steal the election.
I find it interesting that these people in SD are concerned about skewing the tabulators when we elect REPUBLICANS 90% of the time! So what is the problem?
That’s exactly right glad it was republican vs republicans otherwise the conspiracy people would be really going at it.
And the rv and snow bird votes that use mail services that were thrown out were likely all wealthy conservative retirees who all vote red. It’s hilarious.
We need to clean up the SD GOP from all the establishment, big money, corporation pleasing members that have been controlling the state. The primaries and referred votes are the battle front.
Us establishment folks can manipulate the machines with our minds…
Lots of idiots defeated in the primary, great things happening in South Dakota
Anyone can spew out an opinion about people being idiots, but until you, in your not so humble opinion, can name names, your voice here is meaningless.
Cowards often make outrageous statements about others,
What is interesting is that QAnon Toby Doeden who is not only a conspiracy enthusiast but an election denier supported and endorsed Fred Deutsch as one of his Dumpster Divers.
Just goes to show you some politicians are independent thinkers and have thier own mind.
No not really. They are birds of a feather.
Says you, who knows nothing of birds.
I’m with Prairie Farmer. We’re winning 90% of the Legislative Districts and have held the Governor’s Office since the early 1970’s. The Federal offices are all held by our candidates, usually by wide margins. What’s the problem?? These election conspiracy people aren’t Republicans. They are Drama Queens.
One calls the Bonecracker Caucus “RINO” with small impunity and at the risk of a sore neck.
The SD GOP has become two fringe groups who neither trust, respect or communicate with the other side. And, neither has the courage to think they might be part of the problem but only have the immaturity to think the other side is 100% at fault.