South Dakota

Bills to publish voter lists online and protect voters’ contact info both pass SD House • South Dakota Searchlight

Published

11 months ago

January 29, 2025

Bills to publish voter lists online and protect voters’ contact info both pass SD House • South Dakota Searchlight

PIERRE — The South Dakota House of Representatives advanced a bill Wednesday that would make the state’s list of registered voters free and available to the public online, and another bill that would restrict access to registered voters’ contact information.

The two bills, which would amend some of the same sections of existing state law, are yet to be reconciled. Both bills now head to the Senate.

The House voted 37-31 to advance the bill that would make the voter registration list freely available online, after debate over funding and privacy implications.

The bill would mandate the Secretary of State’s Office to publish the list online, with weekly updates, and to maintain historical archives. Supporters said the bill would reduce barriers to election oversight, citing costs of current voter lists, which are priced at $2,500 per request and up to $3,000 for absentee data.

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Rep. Heather Baxter, R-Rapid City, proposed the bill. She said free access to voter rolls is important to secure elections.

“I’m just asking for it to be of no charge since we’ve already paid for it as taxpayers,” Baxter said.

Rep. Jana Hunt, R-Dupree, said the $2,500 fee is too high for South Dakotans, including political candidates who use voter lists in their campaigns.

“It’s the people in South Dakota that can’t afford a $2,500 fee for voter information. It’s the candidates in this room that struggle with that fee,” she said.

On that note, Rep. Will Mortenson, R-Fort Pierre, said the bill has more to do with getting campaigns voter information than election integrity. He voted against the legislation.

“Let’s think about who actually accesses these voter files,” Mortenson said. “Let’s be honest: It’s mostly candidates or activist groups or special interest groups. And so we’re going to say, ‘Well, if we’re going to cut a fee, we’re going to start by benefiting the politician before we start benefiting the people.’ And I don’t think that’s right.”

State Rep. Will Mortenson, R-Fort Pierre, on the South Dakota House floor during the 2024 legislative session. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

The fees collected to obtain the voter registration list are used for upkeep and technical support for the state’s Total Vote system, which is used statewide by county auditors and the Secretary of State’s Office to manage voter registration and election data.

The bill does not include funding to offset the lost fees. The Secretary of State’s Office — which spoke in opposition to the bill during its initial committee hearing — said the total fees came to about $100,000 last year.

Opponents also said implementing the changes might require new software, hardware and additional staff to manage archives and fulfill data requests.

Lindley Howard, McPherson County auditor, said during the committee hearing that she is concerned eliminating fees might transfer a financial burden to local governments.

Rep. Tim Reisch, R-Howard, said publicly posting a voter registration list including the birth year of voters could result in scammers having a catalog of elderly South Dakotans provided by the state, for free. He voted against the bill in the committee and the House.

Reish said during the committee hearing that he is all for greater election transparency, “but this bill goes way beyond that.”

Conflicting legislation

The bill that would forbid public access to voters’ phone numbers and emails passed 40-28.

Rep. Mike Weisgram, R-Fort Pierre, proposed that bill. He said the goal is to limit the number of political texts and emails voters are subjected to during elections.

The bill would prohibit public access to telephone numbers and email addresses on voter registration forms, in addition to existing protections for Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and full dates of birth.

Weisgram said the bill ensures that disclosures of voter registration information cannot be exploited by campaigns or commercial interests.

Opponents said the bill is unnecessary because providing a phone number or email address on voter registration forms is already optional. But supporters said many people feel obligated to fill out all the blanks on the forms.

Rick Weible with South Dakota Canvassing — a group that says it advocates for “election integrity” — spoke against the bill during its committee hearing. He said the data is already available through other sources, so barring the state from giving it out does little good.

“Cat’s out of the bag, because I’m also aggregating data from Facebook, X and all the other social media where, oh yeah, your phone number is part of your account,” Weible said.

Weisgram said those arguments ignore the intent of the bill.

“What’s more important? A campaign, or the people’s personal information?” he said.

Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt, R-Sioux Falls, voted against making the voter registration list available for free online and in favor of the bill restricting access to voters’ contact information. She told South Dakota Searchlight she was frustrated to see the bills pass in an unreconciled form.

“We should be figuring it out,” she said. “And obviously today, we did not, by passing two bills that conflict with each other.”

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South Dakota

South Dakota Congressmen share excitement for defense policy bill

Published

6 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

South Dakota Congressmen share excitement for defense policy bill

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate passed the annual National Defense Authorization Act or the NDAA. South Dakota’s Congressional delegation applauded the bill and what it means for South Dakotans.

Over $900 billion of defense spending and policy changes were passed by a vote of 77-20. It includes some compromises between parties, but South Dakota’s delegation vouched for addressing needs in the state and providing better opportunities to students of South Dakota colleges and universities.

South Dakota Air Force and National Guard locations are getting major upgrades. Ellsworth Air Force Base will receive a total of $378 million to support the newly authorized B-21 Raider stealth bomber program. $28 million will go to the Army National Guard Vehicle Maintenance Shop in Watertown.

Senator Mike Rounds said there has been a need for upgrades in Watertown for some time and it was a welcome addition to the bill.

“We try not only to take care of the full-time operations going on with things at Ellsworth Air Force Base, but for the National Guard, they also have needs of upgraded facilities to take care of the equipment that they’re responsible for,” Rounds said.

Majority Leader Senator John Thune and Representative Dusty Johnson agreed.

“In addition to authorizing a well-deserved pay raise for our service members, this bill strengthens the important role that South Dakota plays in keeping our nation safe by continuing to prepare Ellsworth Air Force Base for the arrival of the B-21 Raider and authorizing a new facility for the South Dakota Army National Guard in Watertown,” Thune said in a release.

“This defense package ensures America’s military remains the strongest in the world,” Johnson added in a statement of his own. “It keeps our military men and women focused on military readiness and ensuring peace through strength. I’m grateful for its investment in South Dakota and the B-21, which will be an incredible addition to our fighting force.”

Senator Rounds also touted what he called a win for South Dakota colleges and universities. Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities, or SCIFs, allow for greater partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense and the ability to share more confidential information within research.

Under the new NDAA, South Dakota universities are given a greater opportunity to partner with the DoD. Dakota State would strengthen its current SCIF status and other schools that have remained interested will get their chance to partner. According to Rounds, South Dakota School of Mines, South Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota have all expressed interest.

“To allow young men and women who want to either go into the military or who have a particular field of expertise to be able to stay at their university location and communicate back and forth with folks in the Washington, DC area or elsewhere on a very private or confidential basis,” described Rounds.

Despite polarizing politics, Rounds said this annual bill brings together those from both sides of the aisle.

“It shows that Republicans and Democrats do work together on certain issues and the defense of our country is one of them,” explained Rounds. “This bill also provides a 3.8 percent increase in salary policy for the young men and women that serve our country. Both of which, I believe, are very positive and items I think the citizens of South Dakota clearly care about.”

Thursday evening, President Donald Trump officially signed the bill into law. The next step would be appropriations acts to authorize the spending.

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South Dakota

100 mph winds overnight in Rapid City; Blizzard developing

Published

18 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

100 mph winds overnight in Rapid City; Blizzard developing

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Good morning KELOLAND. We are following several breaking weather headlines across the region. 100mph winds have created numerous reports of damage in and around Rapid City. Several communities West River have reported winds over 80mph this morning.

Take a look at some of the damage near Pringle, SD. There are many reports of property damage.

This is video from our Rapid City LIVE Cam as of 5am as 80-90mph winds were being reported.

Here are some of the storm reports as of 7am. Keep checking back for new updates. We will be updating this story frequently through the morning.

This is viewer video on uSHARE from Rapid City overnight. You can see the power flashes on the horizon.

Here’s a look at the wind gust map as of 5am. 80-100mph wind gusts have been common.

Meanwhile, snow and near blizzard conditions have been developing farther north and east. Take a look at this video from Eureka from earlier this morning.

More camera video below from Miller as of 7am, showing us what is looks like out there in KELOLAND.

Winter weather advisories have been posted for many areas north of Sioux Falls because of the strong winds and snow squalls. Expect near white-out conditions from time to time while the snow is moving through.

You can see how fast the weather is changing on the radar and satellite map below. Temperatures will be falling quickly with these bursts of snow East River.

Take a look at the wind forecast in the video below. The worst of the wind is moving east of Rapid City now, but Sioux Falls will see increasing winds today of 50-60 mph at times. Any snow that falls will get blown around by the strong winds.

Here’s an overview of Futurecast. You can see see the snow showing up over the blizzard and advisory areas in eastern KELOLAND today.

Now, take a closer look at the hour-by-hour forecast in the video below.

The forecast today calls for strong winds and falling temperatures through the day.

Most of the snow in Sioux Falls will melt by Christmas Day.

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South Dakota

Brookings residents question Operation Prairie Thunder

Published

1 day ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Brookings residents question Operation Prairie Thunder

BROOKINGS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The President of the South Dakota NAACP is happy to explain what she’s wearing.

Nieema Thasing voluntarily wears the Khimar for modesty and reflection of her beliefs. For the first time in years, she took it off before leaving the house.

“In 25 years, never had my husband tell me it would be better if I didn’t wear my stuff. I listened to him and didn’t. I felt really naked. I am being prudent.” said Thasing.

Brookings resident Tasiyagnunpa Barondeau is noticing other ethnic groups assimilating how they appear in public.

“People stop wearing cultural things or things that might speak to not being part of the white majority culture right now.” said Barondeau.

The City of Brookings acknowledged Operation Prairie Thunder’s scheduled time in their town December 17th to the 19th.

Their statement continued: “The City of Brookings will not be participating in these operations.”

Governor Rhoden responded in a statement of his own: “For security reasons, we are not going to comment on operational specifics. It’s unfortunate that the City of Brookings would jeopardize an anti-crime operation and put the safety of our officers at risk by publishing this information. In South Dakota, we enforce the rule of law.”

Barondeau questions, just exactly how many law enforcement officials are needed to consider the area “safe” with three branches of law enforcement already in town.

“Brookings Police, we have the campus police for SDSU and then we also have the Sheriff’s Department right here in Brookings as this county seat. I just don’t understand why Brookings I and I think I am not alone in that.” said Barondeau.

Thasing believes it’s because of the percentage of minorities.

“Highly melanated persons that are working in dairies and working different places, this is an escalation of what happened back in the 60s. There are no dogs or hoses; there are dog whistles.” said Thasing.

She questions the intention of Prairie Thunder.

“Causing people to be fearful. And I believe that’s the whole understanding and the idea behind it.” said Thasing.

Some Brookings residents have spoken with attorneys to better understand the rights of those stopped or questioned by ICE.

“Just staying vigilant and calm. We are not here to obstruct justice. There are trained legal observers now in our area that are aware that this is happening and are going to make themselves available should they need to.” said Barondeau.

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