South Dakota
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.”
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 SEARCHLIGHT) – Democrats are running for 46 of South Dakota’s 105 legislative seats — leaving 56% of seats without a Democratic candidate.
That doesn’t bode well for the party ahead of November, said Michael Card, professor emeritus of political science at the University of South Dakota.
“It doesn’t put them in a position to actually put forward their ideological policy preferences and have much of a success at getting those enacted,” Card said.
In the state Senate alone, Democrats have failed to field a candidate for 22 seats, which is nearly two-thirds of the chamber. In the House, Democrats have failed to field a candidate for 38 seats, which is 54% of the chamber.
There is only one Democratic legislative primary in the state: a state Senate race in District 26, which includes the Rosebud Reservation.
There are no statewide Democratic primaries, after announced candidates for governor and U.S. House dropped out or failed to gather enough petition signatures to make the ballot, leaving one Democrat in each of those races.
Statewide candidates will have less name recognition than Republican candidates ahead of the general election, since they didn’t have primaries, Card said. In the Legislature, Card said Democrats “are guaranteeing they won’t get a majority.”
In contrast, Republicans have primary races for governor, U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Five legislative districts do not have Republican primaries, but do have Republican candidates. There is a Republican candidate running for every legislative seat, except for one House seat in District 27, which includes the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Card said there are several factors leading to poor candidate turnout among Democrats, including a self-fulfilling cycle of failure.
“A lack of winning makes fewer people willing to take a chance on running for office,” Card said. “Why run if I think I’m going to lose?”
Democrats haven’t held a statewide office since 2015, and they haven’t held a majority of either legislative chamber since 1994.
Joe Zweifel, deputy executive director of the South Dakota Democratic Party, said the organization worked “really, really hard” to convince Democrats to run for office.
“But you can’t force people to run for office,” said Zweifel, of Sioux Falls, who’s running for a legislative seat himself in District 12.
He’s heard the open seats called a “failure.” But he disagrees, choosing to focus on the Democrats who did step forward.
“We’re running quality, good candidates in those races,” Zweifel said.
The South Dakota Democratic Party hopes to build on legislative successes, such as a new law from Rep. Kadyn Wittman, D-Sioux Falls, that commits state funding to cover the family portion of reduced-price school meals.
“That specifically is a return on investment for our donors, and it shows that Democrats are doing good things for the people of South Dakota,” Zweifel said.
Wittman’s success helped inspire Democratic District 13 House of Representatives candidate Ali Rae Horsted, of Sioux Falls, to take a second run at the Legislature. Horsted ran unsuccessfully for the Senate against Sen. Sue Peterson in 2024, garnering 42% of the vote.
Horsted plans to build on that success and the name recognition she already has in the district. She hopes she’ll have “better odds” in this election, since there are two House seats for every district.
Horsted said it would better serve South Dakota if the state had a more balanced Legislature. While the latest Legislature was 92% Republican, 52% of voters in South Dakota are Republican. South Dakota has the lowest percentage of Democrats, 7.6%, in the Legislature nationwide.
“I think it’s important that people have options on the ballot,” Horsted said, “and people are able to vote for candidates that represent their values and their vision for the future of South Dakota.”
Makenzie Huber is a lifelong South Dakotan who regularly reports on the intersection of politics and policy with health, education, social services and Indigenous affairs. Her work with South Dakota Searchlight earned her the title of South Dakota’s Outstanding Young Journalist in 2024, and she was a 2024 finalist for the national Livingston Awards.
South Dakota Searchlight is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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From East River to West River, South Dakota communities share a common goal: creating places where people of all ages can live, work and thrive. AARP’s Domains of Livability provide a framework to help communities do just that. Through the AARP Community Challenge grant program—designed to spark quick, impactful local projects—South Dakota communities are turning big ideas into visible, people-centered improvements.
Read the South Dakota Community Challenge Grant Report, which showcases grant-funded projects across the state designed to build more livable communities.
What Are AARP’s Domains of Livability?
AARP’s approach to livable communities is rooted in eight interconnected domains that together support quality of life at every age:
- Outdoor Spaces and Buildings – Safe, accessible parks, streets and public buildings
- Transportation – Affordable, accessible options for getting around
- Housing – A range of choices that support independence
- Social Participation – Opportunities to connect, learn and have fun
- Respect and Social Inclusion – Communities that value people of all backgrounds and ages
- Civic Participation and Employment – Meaningful ways to engage and contribute
- Communication and Information – Clear, accessible ways to stay informed
- Community Support and Health Services – Access to services that support well-being
These domains work best when addressed together—something South Dakota communities are embracing.
Turning Vision into Action with Community Challenge Grants
AARP Community Challenge grants fund short-term, “quick-action” projects that can ignite long-term change. Across South Dakota, these grants have helped communities pilot ideas, build momentum and demonstrate what’s possible when residents put people first.
Here’s how local projects are bringing the Domains of Livability to life:
- Outdoor Spaces and Buildings: Communities have used grants to enhance parks, create pop-up public spaces, add benches and shade and install wayfinding signs. These improvements invite people to linger, gather, and enjoy shared spaces—supporting both physical activity and social connection.
- Transportation: Small, thoughtful transportation projects can make a big difference. Community Challenge grants have supported safer crossings, improved walkability and bikeability around key destinations and the planning or installation of transit amenities like shelters and seating—especially important for older adults and people with mobility challenges.
- Housing and Community Support: Some projects focus on helping residents age in place by improving access to information about home modification resources or by testing neighborhood-level solutions that connect people to services. These efforts strengthen independence and peace of mind.
- Social Participation and Inclusion: Murals, community events and creative placemaking projects funded by AARP grants have sparked community pride and social connection. By involving residents in design and implementation, these projects foster respect, inclusion and a strong sense of belonging across generations.
- Communication, Civic Participation and Opportunity: From hosting community conversations to creating new tools for sharing local information, South Dakota communities are using grants to engage residents in shaping their future. These efforts elevate local voices and encourage ongoing civic participation.
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