Oh, good grief. In a stunning move, a group of South Dakota election conspiracists succeeded in brow-beating the Tripp county commission into moving an election back 20 years to the point where the election will be counted by hand. According to the South Dakota Searchlight web site:
An election law on the books since 1994 allows county commissions to overrule the county auditor by “experimenting with” a combined hand-counting and tabulated ballot counting system.
and..
The new rules left Desersa in a rush to find several new volunteer election workers and to train herself, staff and election workers on how to hand count votes.
“We had to come up with more people to hand-count because all of these 90-year-old election ladies don’t want to stay longer hours to count,” Desersa said.
and..
“The remedy for that would be to bring forth legislation to tweak that particular statute — switch it to say something like, ‘county auditors shall use tabulators to count election votes,’” Barnett said.
The current statute’s vague language means each of South Dakota’s 64 state’s attorneys can interpret the current law differently.
This should be interesting. To say the least.
The kooks are out.
Totally correct. These kooks say the elections can be stolen, however, their poster child Julie Frye Mueller beat Tim Goodwin by 46 votes and he called for a recount. It came out the same. If their theory were correct, she should have lost and then won in a recount. If they want to cure a real problem, they should go to Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and New York and bitch. That is where the voter fraud really exists.
If one cannot trust “90-year-old election ladies” who can anyone trust….unless that “90-year-old is Hilary Clinton”!!! As long as the count is done with full guarantee of no outside interference (internet), it SHOULD be safe.
As a taxpayer, I have no problem paying overtime/double-overtime for staff to work on the election to ensure the counts are done openly.
This group that “browbeat” (any video evidence of this?” the county commissioners to arrive at this decision is keeping an eye on government. It’s not mentioned what the vote count was to get this done.
Monae Johnson will straighten all of this out. (God help us.)
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/elj.2017.0440
This is a study in a peer reviewed journal that shows error rates are higher in hand counted tallies than machine. Their methods are transparent. What do you have?
Meant for CA Escapee, sorry
I call it democracy! If one county wants to do it that way and another has another…and i dint live there why do i care?
Let people of Tripp decide
Counties are not ‘laboratories of democracy’ as sovereign states have been called. In South Dakota, counties are political subdivisions of the state meant to administer state laws and functions with minimal discretion, their duties are ‘ministerial.’
After 2020 I and many other voters will never trust the machines.
Why not? Please cite actual, verified examples.
Oh, right. There are none.
Why do you not prove there is no examples of fraud, abuse or any election scheming going on across the states today. Oh, I forgot, you are bought and sold by the corporate media, so you want to be ignorant to what the people want and wish for. You are part of the problem if you continue to oppose people in their quest for a legislative investigation to discuss the likes of our Domiciles, Master Voter Registration File, to compare the lists to who reguests a ballot, I guess you do not want to question government by means of the SOS, Election Board, Poll Workers, the Citizens to understand how our electoral process is to be governed. I guess you trust the manufacturers of the Voting Machines over the interests of the people. I strikes me as odd, that you want to continue to attack the citizens for wanting to ‘question’, “audit” and “review” our government, let alone the processes in place.
You know, that NOMADS or those AMericans who reside in other states are fully lawfully allowed to “Domicile” themselves in South Dakota without stepping foot in S.D, so long as they follow our laws, they by creating an address in S.D have the right to vote upon their first 24 hours of residency status. I have NO issue with this, cause a person has the right to travel, but WE must audit, review, and understand the processes in place if we are going to allow people residing in foreign states or territories to vote as S.D Citizens.
Do you not want to understand this process more?
Do you not want to hear from the SOS or A.G on the processes, and safeguards in place to holding other states accountable, in making sure they do not allow our Citizens to vote in another state?
I am being respectful, I am not accusing anyone of election fraud, but in order to calm the waters, learn how the system works, to better understand the system, WE must audit, review, and ask questions of public officials regardless.
Stop talking about “the people” as though everyone agrees with you. We don’t.
Why do you get so defensive, what did I say that offended you? “WE THE PEOPLE” who republic together to voice our opinion, let alone express our opinions through those we elect, make public discussions. The majority of the people in the precincts elected precinct committeeman and women as well as delegates to act in their best interest to stand up in defense of the constitution to hold the government and all its public officials accountable. A good majority of the people have spoken up in defense of free, fair, and honest elections, questioning the process of holding public elections where we elect federal, state, and local officials.
So again, why do you get so defensive when it comes to enforcing our constitutions, both federal and state?
Why don’t you officially challenge all those you believe are not legally eligible to vote in South Dakota elections?
Cause the lawful manner is to ask the Legislature to AUDIT and REVIEW things first. why are you making it so hard?
Obviously you have never succumbed to a brow-beating the likes of what the Tripp County Commission succumbed to; are we to believe that you are valorous beyond these elected officials?
Have you surveyed the Tripp County Commission members to ascertain which of them felt that insisting on hand-counted ballots was a complete compromise of ensuring accurate vote tabulation?
As per Desersa’s comment on 90-year-old election workers, this seems problematic at the onset. Is Desersa saying that her roster of 90-year-olds are well-versed and savvy in tabulated voting procedures, thus unwilling to follow old-fashioned methods of simple addition? And if they are too old and weak to carry out their assignments, should they be allowed to work in the first place? Should we be insisting on competency requirements for election workers?
It’s amazing how little some of these “experts” know about vote tabulation. I have been through recounts of hand counted ballots and machine counted ballots. The “experts” clearly haven’t seen a recount of hand counted ballots. Precinct by precinct the errors will be substantially more than machine counted. Machine counted votes are rarely off by one vote.
In hand counted ballots, the local board has been there all day and then has to start counting the ballots after the polls close. With a big turnout, and a long ballot, they can be there until way into the night. If they’re numbers don’t match, they start over. It gets late.
Also, in hand counting, each person on each local precinct board is tossing in their judgement on the quality of the mark and whether or not the ballot has any identifying mark that could disqualify it. It’s wild how the numbers they finally finish up with at midnight or 2 AM will vary from a recount.
If any large county did this, they wouldn’t have their results on statewide elections until the next day, or later.
That’s the reality. Any county that gets suckered into it, and ends up with any close race (and they ensuing mess) won’t do it the Stone Age way twice.
You’re not following the Trump-Q script.
Lee, while I have been more than respectful in my comments, whether or not fraud or abuse has occurred or not, let alone any form of election schemes have occurred or not, is really not the point to any of my public comments made. I am basing my opinions, and assessments based on what I hear from the people around me, let alone via conversations being made nationally. Why do you as a public, elected official so outwardly oppose the constitutional process of electing officials?
The big question I hear is why are out of state resident voting in our public elections, especially where they do not live in S.D – I to agree with you, there is NO Law that says they cannot vote as a S.D Citizen, but why not calm the fears by holding a Legislative Investigation to hold a public hearing to audit and review our public Domicile Records showing who and where “Citizens” are domiciled presenting evidence or lack of their official S.D recorded address, let alone audit and review our public Master Registration Voter File, to understand who can, and who cannot become a qualified voter who can access, or request a Public Ballot?
Why as an elected public official, would you not want to hold such investigative hearing to audit and review all processes we have put in place to govern over Public Elections, to question the Secretary of State, County Auditors, Election Board Members, let alone Poll Workers to better understand how the process works as it relates to holding elections. Why would you not want to ask the S.O.S Office or the Attorney General’s Office to understand the process used to hold other states accountable to ensure that “Domiciled South Dakota Citizens” who reside in foreign states or territories do NOT become registered in those foreign territories or states, let alone vote in those places – IF we could discover any evidence that violates the S.D Constitution, let alone our public laws, would you NOT want to hold those States, let alone Americans accountable to repair or fix a controversy between states, let alone the State and one of its domiciled citizens?
I am NOT saying whether or not fraud and abuse occurs, let alone schemes occur, I am simply asking the Legislature to do its job – Hold an Investigative Hearing, where YOU can in executive session review and audit such private information, to discuss a public matter.
Is that so wrong of me to ask of my Elected Representatives?
Please provide me your honest opinion, in response to my very respectful conversation to you…
Thank You, and I Sincerely encourage a nice, respectful conversation between myself and yourself in order to provide information to my fellow neighbors in my precinct 05-22.
– Mike Zitterich
Mr. Zitterich…you are marching backwards on the hand count issue. Pure nonsense to go back to that mess when machine votes are highly accurate, as the good Senator points out. The Domicle issue is just another South Dakota eccentricity designed to bring in a little revenue.I don’t know if it is worth it.
I have no issue with our current Domicile issue, so long as our Secretary of State and Attorney General are doing their jobs and ensuring those Americans are surrendering their domiciles in other state, of which their job is to HOLD the Secretary of State Offices in those other states accountable to remove the person from that state’s database, let alone removing them from their master voter registrations barring them to vote in other states. This is their job, to settle “controversies” between states where someone or a legal case presents itself.
South Dakota, Florida, and Texas have a chance today to become the leaders in holding the Federal Govt and all the other State’s accountable to the Constitution, and we shall not stop until they get the message.
I politely, and respectfully, asked Lee a question, and I would hope as an elected official, he would respond to my question in a respectful manner in return.
Mike, your premise is ignorant at best. The AG enforces South Dakota law, which can’t be asserted against an SOS in another state.
The voter is responsible for not voting twice. If they try doing that, they’ve broken the law.
I respectfully believe you misinterpreted what I said, I said the SOS is tasked with protecting our Domicile and Master Voter files, ensuring that they are protected from fraud, abuse, and electio schemes not only inside this state, but as well as outside the state. IF the SOS suspects a voter is domiciled or registered in another State, then the Attorney General must protect S.D Law, the citizens, from abuse or election schems in other states, by bringing the law suit against such state. The two Offices must work together in upholding the S.D Constitution, our laws, our people. A great team consisting of a good SOS and a great A.G can do wonders. I am far from ignorant, sir.
In Dunn v. Blumstein, 405 U.S. 330 (1972) – the court ruled against the Tennessee law that required a newly placed resident of the state to establish 1 year, 3 month residency prior to a state or local election. What the court actually stated was the fact:
While Tennessee closes its registration books 30 days before an election, but requires residence in the State for one year and in the county for three months as prerequisites for registration to vote. And all the meanwhile, in forming its opinion, the court highlighted the following criteria in determining the length of time a State can restrict voting rights to any given American.
IN SOUTH DAKOTA – the Secretary of State Office is tasked with protecting our Domiciles, as well as ensuring that only Domiciled Americans of S.D are qualified voters or not, if any SOS, County Auditor, or Election Board Member suspects any such person to be also domiciled or registered voter of another state or group of states, then the SOS Office must present prime evidence of a controversy taking place between states, of which the Attorney General is then tasked with taking up the public matter in a legal setting.
While, in the landmark case of Texas v. Florida, 306 U.S. 398 (1939), the court ruled as such:
So on matters of “Claiming Domicile” in relation to voting rights, a state proclaiming ‘jurisdiction’ over any such American Citizen may at any cost adopt rules of such to determine whether or not the “citizen” has placed his or her domicile within a particular state or not. Residency shall not be the ultimate authority on whether or not an American can or cannot vote in a specific state or not.
Domicile shall be verified foremost.
So, if both the SOS and ATTORNEY GENERAL are both sworn to uphold the constitution, as duly “elected officials” chosen by the “Citizens” (qualified voters) of the State to uphold and honor the State Constitution, let alone the U.S Constitution.
We put faith in the S.O.S Office to uphold and protect our most sacred and important documents from birth to death; we put faith in the Attorney General to uphold and protect the sovereignty of the State, the constitution of this state, the laws of this state, and the people of this state.
We elect our LEGISLATORS to be the guardians of the inherent rights of the ‘people’ proclaiming domicile in the state. Whereas the citizens bring forward a request, a demand, a reasonable excuse to make on their behalf, a thing of public interest, the Legislature is then tasked with honoring that request upon a grievance being filed, documented, let alone the people acting through their S.O.S office to conduct a public investigation of Domiciles, the Master Voter Registration File, let alone any such concerns revolving around S.D Elections.
In order to prove or disprove any such claims of fraud, abuse, scheming, the Legislature itself must take up cause, to investigate, audit, review, any such evidence or lack of, while submitting to the Attorney General a report, with the intent to follow through on bringing forward a “Lawsuit” vs a Foreign State, or Group of States where such controversy may be found.
The S.O.S by our own constitution, may deliver any such report at any time he or she wishes to the Attorney General Office and it would be up to the A.G to take up the public matter of defending the State, of the A.G does not do so, then it is up to the Legislature to act as our last line of defense, to enforce the issue.
IF the legislature is unwilling to, or does not follow through with the request, it would present to the people that the legislature may be at odds with the people, let alone be conflicted in relation to the constitution, and the people may choose to remove them from public office, which we hold public elections every 2 years to change, replace, and remove those representatives from the legislature.
Until Dear Orange Leader lost, and he definitely lost, candidates were mature enough to accept a loss and move on. Or they prevailed in run-offs or presented strong enough cases for why their losses should be overturned. None of that happened in 2020.
Today it seems one Republican after another is emboldened to say even before Election Day they won’t accept results unless they’re the winner. That’s just wrong.
Bless your heart Ann/ Have your ever heard of Hillary Clinton? You know the one who spouted that Trump was not legitimately elected for years? Or how about Stacy Abrams? No? Maybe you should do a little reading.
You really need to get out of your Newsmax echo chamber and join reality. I know, it is your safe space, and they say things you like to hear – but, when it comes down to it, it isnt real. You could call it fake news – but that may be too much of a shock to your system. Lets just leave it as your safe space. Please, leave your safe space and join the real world.
So the video clips of Hillary Clinton stating that Trump was not the legitimate president and the video clips of stacy abrams stating the same for her election and those of more recent variety of the both of them stating that there are processes in the works to steal the election are all computer-generated fakes?
Maybe you should lay-off whatever it is that you’re smoking and point that self-righteous finger of accusation back at yourself and follow your own advice.
“Today it seems one Republican after another is emboldened to say even before Election Day they won’t accept results unless they’re the winner. That’s just wrong.”
I guess you didn’t catch mumblin-stumblin Joe’s speech the other night. You also haven’t heard the latest verbal vomit coming from the old leather bag, cankles, aka Hillary Clinton.
OMG, those 2 women really bother you guys still, don’t they? That said, I remember Hillary Clinton giving her concession speech the next morning, or by Noon, and she commented the victor deserved a chance or words to that effect. As for Ms. Abrams, hers was maybe not as you would have said one, but she ended it with wishing the victor well.
Neither has flown around the country since losing putting on whackadoodle rallies and raising the millions of dollars for herself like he has.
Conveniently you have chosen to ignore everything these two have been spouting over the last few years, but not surprising since gaslighting is the liberal way.
I think you’re referring to the 2016 election denier. Remember, Hillary’s lawyer, Michael Sussman, who admitted to lying to the FBI which started the Russian collusion hoax and wasted 4 years of being unproductive? And the liberal phrase “not my President!”. And Abrams. But then it was founded, right?
Maybe watch the Senate hearings from WI, PA, GA and read thousands of sworn affidavits and if you’re really secure, watch 2000 Mules.
Bush stole the 2000 election from Gore. The Democrats told us, so it must be true
And Gore conceded. Something Trump still hasn’t done. Trump and his election deniers are a bunch of fools. Uneducated morons.