Sioux Falls blogger and lifelong Republican Joe Kirby writes that democracy is a fiction in South Dakota The South Dakota Standard – The South Dakota…
(Editors note: Joe Kirby of Sioux Falls has recently joined the South Dakota bogosphere with his blog SIOUXFALLSJOE.COM. Were sharing one of his posts here along with our wishes for success in his venture.)
As a lifelong Republican and casual observer of South Dakota politics, I have had a nagging feeling for several years that something just wasnt working right. The I heard reports from this years Republican convention and it started to sink in.
Our 20th century election system has enabled a small right-wing faction to have outsized influence on political dialogue in our state. Recognizing this, I think we would be wise to modernize our election system to include more South Dakotans in the process.
The Republican convention was reportedly a fiasco
The reports from the Republican State Convention this summer are concerning. A small, but effective right-wing element in the party got out their vote and nearly disrupted the plans of the complacent majority.
The incumbent secretary of state was surprisingly dumped for spurious reasons. The incumbent lieutenant governor almost suffered the same fate, but for some last-minute political maneuvering. And Marty Jackleys bid to return to the office of attorney general was also nearly sidetracked.
I imagine some conservative Republican office holders (Noem and Thune) are scratching their heads wondering how they suddenly became liberals.
Our election system was established in a different time, with different realities
Decades ago, the Republican and Democratic parties were all that mattered in South Dakota politics. Both could field electable candidates. While the Republicans were mostly dominant, the Democrats were certainly relevant with leaders like Daschle, Johnson, Herseth Sandlin and McGovern. Independents and third parties were not so important.
Over time, the two parties put themselves in charge of the states election system, to the exclusion of all others. That may have made sense at the time since they could keep an eye on each other and balance things out.
Eventually, the Democratic Partys influence in the state waned when national Democrats moved left. As the partys voter numbers in the state decreased, the number of independent voters increased.
Independent voter numbers on the rise
Today 49% of registered voters in South Dakota have chosen to be labeled as Republicans. That number is probably inflated by the fact that non-Republicans are motivated to register as Republican if they want their vote to make a difference. The sagest political advice you can get in South Dakota these days is regardless of your political philosophy, you might as well register as a Republican so you can have a meaningful voice in elections. Some are willing to do that, while others understandably refuse to compromise themselves.
Twenty-six percent of South Dakota voters have bravely registered as Democrats, knowing that means they can make little difference in selecting our elected representatives. And 24% have chosen to affiliate with neither party. That number appears to be low based on national trends.
According to recent Gallup polling, 43% of voters in the US now consider themselves independent. Young people especially are opting out of the choice between the two political parties they find objectionable.
Independent voters are second-class citizens in South Dakota
While the political landscape shifted in South Dakota, the mechanics of our elections did not. But no one seems to be challenging that. Most South Dakotans accept the legacy election system as is. It is familiar. We know how it works. And we know that we end up with Republican winners either way. But we should at least understand its shortcomings and what they might be costing us.
The two parties control South Dakotas election processes. The State Board of Elections runs the states elections. Six of the seven board members are appointed by elected officials from the two parties. None are appointed by other parties or by independent voters in the state.
On a more local level, county precinct superintendents and their assistants play a big role in South Dakotas elections. County auditors appoint them from lists submitted by the two parties. The states independent voters are left out of the process.
Independents are even discriminated against if they want to run for office. The signature requirements for their nominating petitions for some offices are much greater than for party candidates. This is not fair. (I wonder if it would survive a court challenge.)
Independent voters are excluded from the primaries
Political parties have decided that they should be able to exclude non-party members from participating in taxpayer-funded primary elections. As a result, 142,000 independent voters in South Dakota are often left without a meaningful role in the primary elections they help pay for.
As South Dakota Democrats became less relevant, they invited independent voters to participate in their primary. But that doesnt accomplish much when the most important election is usually the Republican primary.
A minority of registered voters has absolute control
In recent years we have become a one-party state. With less than half of the states registered voters, Republicans enjoy a monopoly on statewide races. They occupy all three federal offices, plus the office of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and more.
Republicans also win 90%+ of legislative races. Most legislative races in the state are uncontested or minimally contested, which leads to the observation that if you didnt get to participate in the Republican primary, you had no voice in choosing your state representatives.
Our legislature wastes time on less important issues
You might think I, as a Republican, should like all this power for my party. But as I mentioned earlier, odd things are happening in our Legislature because of it. I think we are all better off if all South Dakotans get to participate equally.
Now that Republicans are in control in our state, the most interesting debates are between Republicans. Lately, conservative Republicans have been challenged from a small, vocal group that is further right politically.
That has led to lots of fussing about seemingly irrelevant stuff like who gets to use which bathrooms. Wed be better off if our legislators would focus on issues effecting more of us, like economic development, healthcare, prisons and housing.
Democracy is a fiction in South Dakota
Our representative democracy does not appear to be working well in South Dakota. Significant groups of South Dakotans have little or no representation or even involvement in the election process. Meanwhile, the Republican Party is showing signs of dysfunction.
At the same time, disenfranchised groups of voters sometimes resort to petition drives to try to enact laws like expanding Medicaid and legalizing marijuana. Issues like that seem well suited for a more balanced legislature.
All South Dakota voters should participate equally
All of us would benefit if more South Dakotans had a meaningful role in our elections. I would like to see the Legislature update the election administration system to allow independents to have an appropriate role. I would also like to see the Republican Party open its primary to independents to broaden the partys base of supporters and reduce the influence of the vocal right-wing minority.
Joe Kirby is a fourth generation South Dakotan and lifetime Republican. He is a retired businessman who has taken an active role in election reform since helping modernize Sioux Falls city government in the 1990s.
Read the original post:
Sioux Falls blogger and lifelong Republican Joe Kirby writes that democracy is a fiction in South Dakota The South Dakota Standard - The South Dakota...
- 45 pro-democracy activists face sentencing in Hong Kong. Heres who some of them are - The Associated Press - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Rifle and Coal Ridge High students dive into democracy as student election judges - Glenwood Springs Post Independent - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Is social media doing more harm than good to democracy? | The Hindu parley podcast - The Hindu - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Amir Alis Civil Rights Experience Will Strengthen Our Judiciary and Democracy - Civilrights.org - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- The Daily Heller: Democracy, Where Art Thou? - PRINT Magazine - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Is social media doing more harm than good to democracy? - The Hindu - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Diverse Democracy: Reflections Covering Religion and the 2024 Elections - Interfaith America - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Is the EUs Democracy Defence Package Enough to Counter Disinformation and Cyber Threats? - Visegrad Insight - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Hong Kong sentences 45 pro-democracy leaders to prison terms of up to 10 years - The Washington Post - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Senegals elections were a triumph for democracy what went right - The Conversation Indonesia - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- International outrage over sentencing of 45 pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong - The Guardian - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- After the elections, whats next for democracy? - Brookings Institution - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Daughter of Political Prisoner in Azerbaijan: Govt Is Using COP29 as Chance to Enrich the Regime - Democracy Now! - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Without access to the truth, we cannot have a democracy, says GW law professor - MSNBC - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Democracy first: In Guyana, PM Modi says never moved forward with expansionist vision - The Indian Express - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- The Trump Cabinet picks who seriously threaten democracy and the ones who dont - Vox.com - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Trump Goes Dark MAGA and Calls Harris Threat to Democracy - The Daily Beast - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Nikole Hannah-Jones, Center for Journalism and Democracy Host Third Annual Democracy Summit - The Dig - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Democracy requires us to consider the hypotheticals all of them - Star Tribune - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- The Militarys Role in Democracy the topic Oct. 22 at URI Rhody Today - The University of Rhode Island - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Dr. Heather Cox Richardson on Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America, Part 1 of 2 - Brene Brown - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Opinion | Lies, liars and lying threaten democracy and lives - The Washington Post - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- October 21 Safeguarding Democracy Project Webinar: "A.I., Social Media, the Information Environment and the 2024 Elections" (Klonick, Nyhan,... - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- US Supreme Court term opens with the stench of a democracy in shambles - WSWS - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Opinion | The project to bring democracy west of Pittsburgh - The Washington Post - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Be well informed to make best vote for democracy - Polkio.com - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Is the Constitution threatening democracy? Former UCI law dean argues it is - Inland Valley Daily Bulletin - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Democracy and reality are on the ballot - The Hill - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Motaz Azaiza, Acclaimed Journalist from Gaza, on Photographing War & Making Art from the Pain - Democracy Now! - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Proving Democracy's Resolve and Resilience: Forum 2000 opens in Prague - Radio Prague International - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Stanford Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow speaks on the global crisis of democracy - The Tiger - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- In an Era of Mistrust and Upheaval, Democracy Seeks a Path Forward - The New York Times - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Over a billion have voted in 2024: has democracy won? - The Economist - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- Whats at stake is the world: Nobel winner Maria Ressa warns U.S. election a tipping point for democracy - POLITICO - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- Why trying to protect freedom may work better than campaigning to protect democracy - The Fulcrum - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- Editorial: Democracy doesnt have to be a beast of burden - TBR News Media - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- Spreading Democracy May Not Be In The United States Best Interest OpEd - Eurasia Review - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- Opinion: Trump lost the respect of veterans including me. He's a risk to our democracy. - USA TODAY - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- Dont panic: AI can strengthen democracy too - College of Social Sciences and Humanities - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- Mathews: Democracy is not in decline, but the global nation-states are - The Mercury News - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- Rooks: Republicans join the battle to save democracy - Seacoastonline.com - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- Everything your kids wont learn in school about our democracy: Can parents fill the void? - KCRW - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- Saed drives the last nail in the coffin of Tunisian democracy - Institute for Security Studies - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- JD Vance is the handpicked leader of the anti-democracy movement in the US - The Guardian - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- How to rebuild democracy to truly harness the power of the people - New Scientist - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- The Assault On Democracy Goes Global - Foreign Policy In Focus - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- How political bettors are gambling on the future of democracy - MSNBC - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Democracy by Design: How IFES and AEOBiH Built Bosnias Election Blueprint - The International Foundation for Electoral Systems - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Democracy Is Fading in the Birthplace of the Arab Spring - Bloomberg - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Leveraging AI for Democracy: Civic Innovation on the New Digital Playing Field - National Endowment for Democracy - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Hawthorn Hill Journal: Of Signs and Democracy - AllOTSEGO - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Truth and democracy in an era of misinformation - Science - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Readers are concerned about democracy, but in very different ways - San Antonio Express-News - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- The Maine Idea: Republicans join the battle to save democracy - Press Herald - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- The Democratic Party is the real threat to democracy - Washington Examiner - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Why trying to protect freedom may work better than campaigning to protect democracy - The Conversation Indonesia - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Opinion: Democracy has the right to defend itself against the clown car - The Mercury News - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Three Lesser-Known Democracy Funders That Front-Loaded Support This Year - Inside Philanthropy - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Saed and the Mirage of Direct Democracy - ISPI - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Vance: Post-Trump President and Future of the Anti-Democracy Movement - LA Progressive - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Israels Attacks on Gaza Have Wiped Out 902 Entire Palestinian Families - Democracy Now! - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- VP Debate Exchange on the Transfer of Power and State of Democracy - C-SPAN - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- WATCH: Voters react in real time to key Vance-Walz debate moments on immigration, democracy, abortion - Fox News - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- Commentary: Democracy does not start or end at the ballot box - Ithaca College The Ithacan - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- The Judiciary Reform and the risk of Playing with the Pillars of Democracy - Wilson Center - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- Fred Upton talks on protecting democracy, harms of dark money at WMU event - MLive.com - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- Defending Democracy in the US - Human Rights Watch - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- Part of the conversation | Our Shared Democracy connects people through civic engagement - NCWLIFE News - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- How WITF is using democracy reporting to build trust and tamp down political rhetoric - Editor And Publisher Magazine - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- Jabonero (OEI): The problems of Latin America are solved with democracy, not by enlightened saviors - The Diplomat in Spain - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- Religious scholar uncovers the 'spiritual warriors' threatening Democracy - WYPR - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- The crucial role of opposition in safeguarding democracy - The Jakarta Post - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- Deliberative Democracy and Climate Change: Exploring the Potential of Climate Assemblies in the Global South - International IDEA - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- Hakeem Jeffries on Winning the House and Defending Democracy Against Another January 6 - Vanity Fair - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- 'The Teamsters are paragons of democracy' - The Week - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- Dan Rather: The Real Threat That Trump Poses to Our Democracy - OB Rag - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- Elon Musk: Voting for Trump only way to save democracy - The Hill - October 1st, 2024 [October 1st, 2024]
- Opinion | The hard and sacred work of renewing democracy - The Washington Post - October 1st, 2024 [October 1st, 2024]
- Opinion | The Teamsters Make a Lonely Stand for Democracy - The Wall Street Journal - October 1st, 2024 [October 1st, 2024]
- Spreading Democracy May Not Be in the United States Best Interest - AIER - Daily Economy News - October 1st, 2024 [October 1st, 2024]