SECRETARY OF STATE ANNOUNCES LEGISLATION FOR THE 2026 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

 (Pierre, S.D.) – Secretary of State Monae L. Johnson announces that the Secretary of State’s office has proposed a package of legislation for the 2026 Legislative Session that includes bills to introduce new systems, improve transparency, clean up election statutes, and streamline the election process. “This legislation demonstrates my office’s commitment to improving elections in South Dakota by introducing new systems, addressing concerns brought forward by election officials, and cleaning up the state’s election laws,” said Secretary Johnson.

SB 28: An Act to permit the use of a ballot on demand system and to declare an emergency. Due to the extremely short turnaround time between when nominating petitions must be submitted and primary election ballots must be in the possession of election officials prior to the beginning of absentee voting, many election officials have expressed an interest in using ballot on demand systems to ensure that absentee voting can begin on time. This bill will allow these election officials to authorize the use of ballot on demand systems within their respective jurisdictions.

SB 29: An Act to amend provisions pertaining to the tabulation of ballots and permit the release of any cast vote record and collection of ballot images produced by automatic tabulating equipment and to declare an emergency. There is growing interest in allowing county auditors to release cast vote records (CVRs) and ballot images to the public; however, the Office of Hearing Examiners has ruled that CVRs and ballot images are not public records. This bill will provide a new pathway for CVRs and ballot images to be released by county auditors while still protecting voter privacy.

SB 30: An Act to amend the reasons for challenging an individual’s eligibility to vote. While non-citizen voting is not an issue in South Dakota, there is still interest in having a process in place to ensure that non-citizens can be removed from the voter rolls if they are ever found to be registered. This bill will allow a new process to be established for the registration of any non-citizen to be challenged and for the challenged voter to be removed from the voter rolls.

SB 31: An Act to permit the use of a confirmation letter to verify a voter’s registration. Under current voter registration list maintenance statutes, county auditors are required to use a double-sided postcard when trying to confirm a voter’s registration information and/or address. A number of county auditors have expressed an interest in using letters, rather than postcards, when performing voter registration list maintenance in order to save money and simplify the process for their offices. This bill will allow county auditors to use confirmation letters instead of postcards as they see fit.

SB 32: An Act to amend and repeal provisions pertaining to the ballot requirements for certain elections and to declare an emergency. There are a few sections within Title 12 that require a separate ballot to be used for certain election contests at a primary or general election; however, the practice since the 1990s has been to have all contests on the same ballot. This bill will clean up Title 12 to align with the practice that has been in place for decades.

HB 33: An Act to modify the number of signatures required on certain election-related petitions. Currently, the number of signatures required for candidates, political parties, and ballot questions to receive ballot access is based on the number of votes cast for Governor, which is difficult to calculate in many jurisdictions. This bill will simplify signature requirements and make them easier to determine by basing them on the number of registered voters, rather than the number of votes cast in a specific contest.

HB 34: An Act to amend provisions pertaining to conducting a municipal or school district election and to declare an emergency. HB 1130 (2025) modified provisions related to municipal and school district elections, requiring that they be held on the same day as the June primary election or the November general election. This bill addresses issues that have been raised by local election officials as they work to implement the provisions of HB 1130 (2025), which will help this year’s local elections go smoothly.

The full text of each bill proposed by the Secretary of State’s office can be found on the Legislative Research Council’s website at https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bills/71.

Crabtree Announces Military Land Shield Act

New Bill Bans Enemies From Owning Land Near Military Bases

MADISON–America’s adversaries will no longer be allowed to own land near South Dakota’s military facilities under new legislation announced today by State Senator Casey Crabtree (R-District 8). The bill, known as the Military Land Shield Act, bans foreign governments, entities and nationals from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Cuba from owning land within 10 miles of military bases like Ellsworth Air Force Base.

In 2024, Sen. Crabtree supported then-Gov. Kristi Noem’s proposal to prohibit the ownership of agricultural land by these same foreign adversaries. The Military Land Shield Act goes further by banning all land ownership by foreign adversaries near key military bases, aligning with President Donald Trump’s February 2025 National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM), which identifies land near sensitive U.S. facilities as a national security priority.

“America’s adversaries have no business owning land near our nation’s critical bases like Ellsworth,” said Crabtree. “President Trump has made it clear these are strategic sites, and foreign land ownership near places like Ellsworth is a national security issue. While Congress considers similar proposals, South Dakota must act to protect military bases inside our borders to root out bad actors who threaten our national security.”

South Dakota’s Congressional Delegation has backed federal proposals aimed at limiting foreign adversary land ownership near bases, such as U.S. Senator Mike Rounds’ PASS Act and bipartisan efforts like the Protecting Military Installations and Ranges Act and the Protect Our Bases Act, which seek to strengthen national security review of land purchases near military sites.

According to Crabtree, these bills need to pass Congress. In the meantime, Crabtree is focused on doing what he can in the Legislature to protect America’s national security.

“Now, it’s South Dakota’s responsibility to act and protect critical sites like Ellsworth Air Force Base within our borders,” added Crabtree. “I will never back down from protecting South Dakota in the Legislature or in Congress.”

The 2026 Legislative Session begins on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.

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Gov. Rhoden Seeks FEMA Assistance for December Windstorm

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden signed a disaster declaration seeking FEMA assistance for damages caused during the December windstorm.

“South Dakotans are strong – and I am proud of all those who stepped up and responded quickly to begin recovery,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “Recovery is a team effort, and it is important that state, local, tribal, and federal partners all do their part to help. Requesting FEMA assistance is the next step to ensure our communities have the support they need to fully rebuild.”

The winter windstorm began on December 17, 2025, bringing widespread winds exceeding 100 mph and causing severe infrastructure damage. The counties of Pennington, Custer, and Fall River were among the most affected.

While a majority of the cleanup is underway, including assistance from Department of Corrections inmates, a disaster declaration is required by the Governor within 30 days of the incident in order to seek FEMA assistance. For a storm to qualify for FEMA assistance, there must be at least $1,720,133.98 in damages to public property in South Dakota. Current estimates have now exceeded that threshold.

If approved by FEMA, public entities that qualify would receive 75% of the cost of repairs from FEMA, 10% from the state, and only 15% of the cost from the county.

You can find the disaster declaration here.

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WINNER, S.D. – Tripp County State’s Attorney Zachary Pahlke and South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announce an ongoing investigation into an email scam that led to the fraudulent transfer of $826,357 from the Tripp County government.

State’s Attorney Pahlke reports that on Oct. 15, 2025, the Tripp County Auditor’s Office was deceived into authorizing a transfer to a bank account controlled by external criminal actors. The perpetrators utilized a “spoofed” email address designed to mimic a legitimate vendor and redirect a substantial payment.

South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and federal partner agencies are currently investigating the incident. Because this is an active and ongoing criminal investigation, certain details must remain confidential to ensure investigators have the best possible chance of identifying the perpetrators and, if possible, recovering the funds.

“Scammers are getting more sophisticated, and consumers have to be vigilant,” said Attorney General Jackley. “Always verify. Call the company at its official telephone number.”

State’s Attorney Pahlke stated that Tripp County is now partnering with security experts to strengthen county administrative safeguards. He noted that updates to county protocols, combined with additional staff training, are designed to intercept and prevent fraudulent attempts and better protect the resources of Tripp County taxpayers.

Attorney General Jackley said consumers who are victims of a scam should call law enforcement or contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at consumerhelp@state.sd.us or 1-800-300-1986.

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It would not be an election year if I didn’t have to run yet another primary election for my precinct committeeman position.  LOL. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve had to do this.  Once more into the breach!

On a related note, looks like Carl Perry has two primaries he has to deal with this election..

From facebook, and Republicans everywhere, Happy Birthday Senator Thune!

I suppose that’s one way to do it. That is, if you’re a complete lunatic.

Senator California Carley and Representative Dylan “DJ Jazzy” Jordan, who are two of the worst legislators in Pierre are going to add another bill to their tally that won’t pass.   They have proposed Senate Bill 58, An Act to reduce to zero mill levies for property taxation.

The effect would be to immediately eliminate all property taxes, and make the schools and counties dependent on state funding. Literally. It’s in the first sentences of the measure:

Section 1. That a NEW SECTION be added to chapter 4-7:

The Bureau of Finance and Management shall recommend to the Joint Committee on Appropriations an amount to be appropriated each year to be transferred to political subdivisions of this state for their necessary expenditures.

The measure is literally to render these political subdivisions unable to raise revenues of their own, short of the wheel tax. Counties? No property tax authority for you. Schools? You will get what the state gives you and you’ll like it.  Don’t even talk about towns and townships.

It’s like these tax and spenders are trying to completely drive South Dakota to an income tax. Which might be great for the out of state landowners like Ted Turner (the largest private landowner in the state). But, ends up dumping the burden completely on residents.

Unless there’s a plan for replacing the revenue they want to take away from government, this is just a plan of silliness.

The Republican Party used to be oriented towards growth and prosperity to help alleviate the tax burden. But anymore it seems like there are too many people who would be happy to just take a sledgehammer to the economy, just to keep things how they imagine them being in the 1950’s.

God help us all.

Throw another log on the fire. Another Indy candidate has thrown their name in the ring to run for Governor with a Wix website.

Scott Morris, a military retiree who now is a substitute teacher has announced his candidacy via a website along with his Lt. Governor candidate Ericka Flanigan, another military retiree.  The duo has also filed a statement of organization, the oddly titled “Committee for Seabiscuit.”

The campaign lists as it’s priorities teachers and education, supporting farmers, and supporting the military and veterans.

No official public announcements at this time, but as mentioned they have a website up.

Independent candidate petitions are due on April 28th, and they are required to have 3,502 valid signatures.

 

The Mayor of Vermillion, Jon Cole, has announced that he is running to lead South Dakota’s other university community for another term of office:

Over the past several months, many residents, community leaders, and partners have reached out to encourage me to continue serving in this role. I am grateful for that trust and support, and it is a responsibility I do not take lightly.

Serving Vermillion as mayor has been one of the greatest honors of my life. Vermillion is a city with strong values, dedicated people, and a bright future. It has been a privilege to work alongside residents, city staff, council members, county partners, state representatives, and community leaders to move our city forward.

Over my term, Vermillion has made meaningful progress. We strengthened public safety with the completion of the new law enforcement center. We invested in infrastructure to support long-term growth including roads and utilities. We expanded housing opportunities for families, seniors, and our workforce. We strengthened partnerships with the University of South Dakota and built a stronger, more collaborative working relationship with Clay County. Throughout this work, we remained focused on transparency, fiscal responsibility, and thoughtful decision making.

Vermillion continues to grow, bringing new opportunities and new responsibilities. The years ahead will require continued steady leadership, collaboration, and a clear focus on maintaining the quality of life that makes Vermillion such a great place to live, work, and raise a family.

I am seeking re-election because I care deeply about this community and believe there is more important work ahead. I remain committed to listening, working together, and leading with integrity, transparency, and common sense as we plan for Vermillion’s future.

I look forward to continuing conversations with residents across our community and respectfully ask for your support as we move forward together.

Congratulations to Jon for running again, and we look forward to watching the campaign.

Robin Schiro announces she’s running for D 17 House to Clay Co Commission. And that there’s a meth lab in her home. Click on the link to watch, starting at 3 minutes and 30 seconds into the video. And enjoy the show.