This went out yesterday from the Secretary of State’s office, to counties who like and use electronic pollbooks and vote centers for the speed and convenience of voters.

As opposed to strengthening backup procedures, the problems 2 counties experienced with connectivity to the state voter database managed by the Secretary of State are triggering the SOS to propose to cease using technology.

SDSOS proposal to move back to StoneAge by Pat Powers on Scribd

E-Pollbooks are used in jurisdictions in 32 states, with Alabama set to be the 33rd.  They’re becoming more and more prevalent, specifically for the following reasons as cited by the NCSL:

There are a variety of e-poll books on the market, and many jurisdictions design their own. An e-poll book typically provides one or more of the following functions:

• Allows poll workers to look up voters from the entire county or state. This can reduce time spent checking in voters, one of the bottlenecks in the voting process.

• Allows poll workers to easily redirect voters in the wrong location to the correct polling place.

• Scans a driver’s license to pull up a voter’s information, avoiding data entry errors.

• Notifies poll workers if a voter already voted absentee or during the early voting period.

• Allows voters to sign in electronically.

• Produces turnout numbers and lists of who voted.

• Uses a photo to verify a voter’s identity. This could be a method to prevent voter fraud, but it is not yet in place anywhere.

• E-poll books in some states (Maryland and Indiana, for example) are networked and receive immediate updates on who has voted in other voting centers. Other states (Minnesota and Michigan, for example) specify that e-poll books may not be connected to the network.

You can read the entire report here.

Brookings County has used voting centers and e-pollbooks since their inception several years ago, and voting could not be quicker, easier and more convenient.   Brookings used them last week, and it went just fine.  Seems there’s the possibility that fingers might be pointed in the wrong direction on this one. But, we’ll see.

Maybe they’ll propose to go Fred Flintstone on us, and change to stone tablets next.

Punishing victims of crime because they own a gun?

From the Argus Leader, Liberal Democrat & Sioux Falls City Councilor Patrick Starr is announcing his interest in city ordinances to punish gun owners when someone steals from their car or home:

A rash of firearm thefts from unlocked vehicles and garages has at least one Sioux Falls official toying with the idea of establishing penalties for the victims.

and…

That has Councilor Pat Starr investigating whether the city has the ability to establish an ordinance to penalize gun owners who don’t keep their firearms locked up.

“I’m a big believer in the Second Amendment, and I believe that people have the right to bear their arms, but at the same time it comes with a responsibility,” Starr told his fellow councilors Tuesday afternoon at Carnegie Town Hall.

and..

That could be a tough sell for Starr, though. A long-standing South Dakota law prohibits counties and local governments from using ordinances to restrict “possession, transportation, sale, transfer, ownership, manufacture, or repair of firearms or ammunition.”

Go read it here.

Wow! So, if my house isn’t locked, and someone makes off with my property I’m legally allowed to possess in my home, I’m somehow at fault?

Starr might claim he’s “a big believer in the Second Amendment,” but it is not borne out by his statements.   Punishing the victim because of what was stolen? What’s next, does he plan on fining people who have been prescribed certain medications if someone robs from their medicine cabinet?

Starr is doing nothing but BLAMING THE VICTIM in one of the most overtly big-government and expressly anti-2nd amendment proposals I’ve ever heard uttered forth from any public official ever in the State of South Dakota.

 

Wow! This sure sounds like a battle is brewing, and someone is throwing down. From the Argus Leader:

The South Dakota Retailers Association is spreading false information to members in an effort to keep federal food stamp data hidden from the public.

and..

Jon Arneson, a lawyer who represented the Argus Leader in the lawsuit, said the Retailers Association was “conspicuously disseminating misinformation” to arouse its membership.

Arneson said the Retailers Association’s contention that a confidentiality provision is necessary to prevent the public from knowing “exactly what your customers are purchasing with their SNAP benefits” is untrue.

Read it here.

I actually don’t think I’ve seen the state’s largest newspaper claim that the state’s largest trade association is lying before. In a related note, retailers of South Dakota, advertising space is available at dakotawarcollege.com. 

The lawsuit filed long ago against the persons alleged to be involved in illegal robocalls was dismissed late last week on a technicality by the judge hearing the case, but the principals involved in the case indicated that they may appeal:

Second Circuit Court Judge Mark Salter in his order filed Monday said he decided to dismiss the six-year-old case after the former lawmaker who filed it failed to keep the case going.

“This case is stale and focuses upon conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the 2012 general election,” Second Circuit Court Judge Mark Salter wrote. “The lack of action is unreasonable and unexplained.”

and..

Nelson said he’d never been involved in the robocalls and felt the lawsuit brought against him was an attempt to “slime” him in the press. The decision to dismiss was the right one, Nelson said, though it came years later than it should’ve.

“It is a measure of justice that this has been dismissed with prejudice,” Nelson said.

Lederman said he didn’t agree with the judge’s decision and would consider an appeal.

Read it here.

While Nelson protests his innocence to the press, Nelson had been named as participating in the case as part of the sworn testimony of Gary Dykstra, who was named in the complaint as a key player in the robocalls.

On the stand, Dykstra said he, Willard and state representative Stace Nelson got the idea to send out these robocalls to people throughout South Dakota because they did not like the voting record of South Dakota Republican leaders when it came to cutting education benefits for veterans. Dykstra said three different people, including Willard, came up with this plan.

Read that here.

SENATE PRESIDENT PRO TEM ENDORSES LANCE RUSSELL FOR AG

CLARK, S.D. (Jun 12, 2018) – Today, Senate President Pro Tempore Senator Brock Greenfield announced his endorsement for Senator Lance Russell for the South Dakota Attorney General position today in a press release.

Senator Greenfield said in his endorsement, “Senator Lance Russell is the only candidate for Attorney General who possess the extensive experience both as a prosecutor and as a leader of state government.”

The endorsement from Senator Greenfield comes a week ahead of the State Republican Convention, where the South Dakota Republican party will nominate one of three seeking the position to move on to the General Election where they will face a Democrat challenger.

Senator Greenfieldsaid “Lance is as formidable on the campaign trail as he is in the courtroom. Lance has a record of defeating Democrats.”

The endorsement comes in light of concerns that have been raised within the Republican party over Democrat challenger U.S. Attorney Randy Sieler who recently announced his bid for the position, and is expected to be the Democrat choice for the position in the general election this fall.

The Republican State Convention will nominate their choice for Attorney General next Saturday, on June 23rd.

###

A final e-mail from the Marty Jackley for Governor campaign:

Thank You, South Dakota

I want to thank you for all of your kindness and support during our campaign for governor.

We have a great team of supporters and I will be forever grateful for all of your help, advice, and prayers for my family. My travels during this campaign reinforced why I so love South Dakota and gave me an even better appreciation for the tremendous opportunities we have right here at home.

Perhaps the greatest part of the campaign has been the everlasting friendships I have made, and although our campaign has come to an end, it remains my hope our friendships will only continue to grow. Thank you for being a part of our team and may God bless you and our great state.

Sincerely,

Marty, Angela, Michael, and Isabella Jackley

***MEDIA ADVISORY***
Sioux Falls to Host Rally Against EPA War on Biofuels

Join South Dakota farm, biofuel, and community leaders for a rally in Sioux Falls, where participants will voice their concerns about attacks on homegrown biofuels led by the chief of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who is passing through the state this week. The event will feature farm voices from across South Dakota, including a number of corn growers who will arrive via tractor.

As recently as last week, EPA Administrator Pruitt sought to advance regulatory changes targeting the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) that would harm South Dakota communities during the worst farm downturn in a generation. South Dakota leaders will call on the Administrator Pruitt to uphold the president’s commitment to the RFS, tear down regulatory barriers to higher ethanol blends, and end corporate handouts that allow petroleum refiners to squeeze biofuels out of the market

WHAT:  Rally Against the EPA War on Biofuels
WHEN:  Wednesday, June 13, 2018  10:30 am Central to 11:00 am Central
WHERE:Falls Park Farmers Market (map) 309 East Falls Park Drive  Sioux Falls
WHO: 

• Troy Knecht, Farmer & President of the South Dakota Corn Growers Association
• Rep. Kent Peterson, Farmer & Assistant Majority Leader of the South Dakota House of Representatives
• Doug Berven, Vice President of Corporate Affairs for POET
• Additional South Dakota champions for rural economic development
• Moderated by Jim Woster, Agricultural market expert and South Dakota broadca

Political satire facebook group Dakota Posts added a postscript to their cartoons today. If you recall their cartoon from right before the election…

They added a postscript this morning.

First-time Republican candidate Scyller Borglum was able to celebrate victory on the night of the Primary (eventually), and on her personal blog where she’s written about working on her doctorate and careers in engineering, provided some insight into her experiences on the campaign trail:

Now, I won’t tell you my campaign strategy except to say a couple of things. First, several people gave me great advice. Knocking on doors was the best way to meet my constituents, hear their concerns, and introduce myself.

Second, I attended every meet-and-greet, every forum, and every opportunity to introduce myself. Three candidates put their name in for two slots. One as an incumbent and one who ran before and had 23 years in our District. As a relative newcomer, I had a great deal of ground to make up in a very short amount of time.

While on the Campaign Trail, one unexpected theme became clear. Despite what we hear in popular media and on the news, I did not run into acrimonious sputtering or vitriolic diatribes. In fact, people were pleasant.

Every evening I laced up my “Trail Shoes” and my Sweetie did the double check: do you have your Camelbak? Check. Sunglasses? Check. Beretta bag with handouts? Check, Check!!

A note on my Beretta bag — a friend at work gave this to me so I had a handy bag for my shotgun shells while shooting trap/skeet. Serendipitously, it was also the perfect size to hold my door to door handouts! One evening, a fellow answered the door — and uncertain of my Republicany-ness — wanted to know where I stood on guns and the 2nd Amendment. I pointed to the logo on my Beretta bag and saucily replied, “This should tell you.” He paused, caught off guard. Then he recovered, “well it’s not a Kimber, but I suppose you’ll do.” And I secured his vote.

Read it here.

Scyller provided one of the best bits of advice possible –  “Knocking on doors was the best way to meet my constituents, hear their concerns, and introduce myself.” Pay attention candidates. You need to need to go out and knock on doors. There is no substitute.

It’s been a week since the GOP primary, and we have little more than a week remaining until the GOP Convention is set to begin.

The question on the minds of many Republicans is who will Kristi Noem choose as her “Matt Michels,” the person who will preside over the State Senate, the person who would serve in her staid if she is unable, the person to round out the top of the GOP ticket as her running mate, etc.

Who will Kristi Noem pick as her Lt?

Unlike Democrat Billie Sutton, who is rumored to be trying to grab a Republican, the GOP doesn’t have to poach good candidates; we have them in droves. The big question for us political prognosticators is “which one?”

I suspect there’s a very short list, and we can only guess who will be on it.

If I were to guess, I think the natural choice for many is State Representative Larry Rhoden, who has been a long-time supporter of Kristi. While he’s not exactly from a population center (Union Center, Pop. 86),  Larry did place second in the 2014 Republican Primary for US Senate. And Larry is a tremendously likable guy.

If Kristi was looking more towards Sioux Falls, another choice might be former House Assistant Majority Leader Steve Westra. Again, no stranger to the stump, and tightly woven into the business community in Sioux Falls.

We might also consider former Senate Majority Leader Tim Rave, a long-time confidant of Kristi’s, former Speaker of the SD House, and former chairman of the GOP. Tim, who works for Sanford’s government affairs department, would ease right into leading the Senate.

Any of them would do well for our next Governor. And I’m sure I’m leaving many, many people out who are being discussed.

But that’s what the comment section is for, Who do you anticipate is going to be Noem’s Lt. Governor pick, and why?  The floor is yours!