Resolution sponsor argues out-of-state donors are shaping South Dakota elections; Opponents say campaign finance reform is the answer

PIERRE — Lawmakers are considering a resolution that would start the process of making it more difficult for voters to pass a constitutional amendment in South Dakota.

The State House Affairs Committee heard testimony on House Joint Resolution 5003, a bill that would ask voters during the next general election whether to change the votes needed to pass a constitutional amendment from a simple majority to a 60% threshold.

The joint resolution was amended to the 60% figure at the start of the bill’s hearing on Friday. The prime sponsor of the bill, Republican Rep. John Hughes of Sioux Falls, had initially suggested a two-thirds majority in the initial version of his legislation.

The committee passed the resolution on an 11-2 vote, sending it to the full House for consideration.

Out-of-state interests have undue influence on South Dakota elections, resolution sponsor says

Hughes argued South Dakota has become a “convergence point for out-of-state interests to take advantage and exploit” the state’s simple majority requirement to pass constitutional amendments.

The Sioux Falls lawmaker referenced several large donations made in the weeks before the 2024 general election to Dakotans for Health, a group pushing to enshrine the right to abortion in the South Dakota Constitution — though Hughes did not directly name the group or the ballot question in his statements.

Hughes pointed to a $500,000 donation made by Think Big America, a nonprofit backed by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, in October.

Pritzker made another donation of $250,000 to Dakotans for Health on Nov. 1, according to a report filed with the South Dakota Secretary of State.

Another group backed by conservative activist Leonard Leo later matched the Pritzker nonprofit’s donation with a $500,000 that went to No G for SD, a ballot question committee. That money went to pay for ads opposing Constitutional Amendment G, which was rejected by 59% of South Dakota voters in the election.

“We have big checks coming in: $100,000 from a guy in California, $500,000 from the governor of Illinois. What on earth is the governor of Illinois doing to shape and mold the political and social values of South Dakota?” said Hughes, who failed to mention Leo’s large donation.

South Dakota law allows ballot question committees, or groups with a position on a specific ballot question, to receive unlimited amounts of money from individuals, political action committees, political parties, entities and other ballot question committees.

Nathan Sanderson, executive director of the South Dakota Retailers Association, spoke in support of the resolution, saying amending the constitution “should be more difficult” than amending a statute. Sanderson led the effort to oppose Initiated Measure 28, which was sponsored by Dakotans for Health co-founder Rick Weiland.

But opponents contend the change would actually work to the benefit of wealthy groups and individuals.

Opponents: Reforms to campaign finance laws, not majority requirements, is needed

Chase Jensen, a lobbyist for Dakota Rural Action, told the committee he agreed with Hughes on part of his testimony, particularly regarding the influence of out-of-state money in the state’s elections.

But he argued the state’s campaign finance laws need to be reformed, specifically when it comes to how outside money is allowed to be brought into state elections, rather than “changing the power of the people.”

During the recent election, only one out of seven ballot questions passed the simple majority threshold (50% plus one vote).

Constitutional Amendment F, which proposed to enforce work requirements on individuals who apply for expanded Medicaid benefits, passed with 56% of votes in November.

Jensen said raising the bar would only make it more difficult for legislators and citizens to pass constitutional amendments in the future.

“With the unprecedented concentration of wealth in our society, in our politics today, we believe raising the threshold of votes wouldn’t deter out of state money. It would only open the tap even further,” Jensen said.

Zebediah Johnson, a lobbyist for the Voter Defense Association of South Dakota, told the Argus Leader the majority of constitutional amendments proposed over the last two decades have been referred to voters by legislators.

South Dakota’s early populist movement adopted the initiative and popular referendum process into the South Dakota Constitution in 1898, becoming the first state in the U.S. to do so.

“There is no need for South Dakota, which created the American ballot initiative, to deviate from the norm in such an extreme manner,” Johnson said.

South Dakota voters have a recent history of rejecting changes to the state’s majority requirements.

In 2018, South Dakotans considered Amendment X, which proposed to raise the vote threshold to 55%. That failed after only receiving 46% of the vote.

Voters also rejected Amendment C in 2022, which would have required any future ballot measure that increases taxes, or spends $10 million over five years, to pass by at least 60%. This proposed change was also defeated after only receiving 33% of votes.

BROOKINGS — Saturday’s Summit League battle between South Dakota State and Oral Roberts pitted two of the conference’s best and most exciting players against one another, and Isaac McBride of ORU and the Jackrabbits’ Oscar Cluff offered signature performances.

But it was Cluff and SDSU that came away victorious, with the Jackrabbits controlling the action most of the day in an 84-70 win in front of a matinee crowd of 3,681 at First Bank & Trust Arena.

It was SDSU’s second straight win after two straight losses, and Cluff’s very big fingerprints were all over it.

The 6-foot-11 Aussie scored 21 points on 11 shots while grabbing a career-high 20 rebounds and dishing a team-high four assists, continuing to establish himself as one of the premier bigs in the country.

“He gave us a great boost,” said freshman guard Owen Larson, who had 10 points and five rebounds. “Really brought the energy from the get-go, rebounded at a high level and when he does that it gets the rest of us going.”

The Jacks scored the first nine points of the game but ORU quickly fought back, using a 14-2 run to take a three-point lead which would be their biggest of the day. The teams mostly traded blows the rest of the first half before a strong finish allowed SDSU to take a 41-35 lead into the break. They quickly pushed the advantage into double digits early in the second, and ORU never got closer than eight after that.

Joe Sayler had 17 points for the Jacks (12-8, 3-2), while Matthew Mors and Kalen Garry had 11 apiece.

Meanwhile McBride was outstanding for the Golden Eagles (5-13, 1-4), scoring a game-high 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting, though Jacks coach Eric Henderson said his team defended him well enough.

“It was just a matter of time before he hit some shots,” Henderson said of the preseason conference player of the year. “I know he had 26 but I thought he earned all of ’em. He’s just a terrific player. He’s gonna get shots. You can’t take all of his stuff away. Our effort was pretty good.”

Matt Zimmer is a Sioux Falls native and longtime sports writer. He graduated from Washington High School where he played football, legion baseball and developed his lifelong love of the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. After graduating from St. Cloud State University, he returned to Sioux Falls, and began a long career in amateur baseball and sports reporting. Email Matt at mzimmer@siouxfallslive.com.

Sometime this month Gov. Kristi Noem will get her seal of approval from the U.S. Senate to become the nation’s next secretary of Homeland Security. That paves the way for Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden to be the next governor of South Dakota.

With Rhoden’s experience as a legislator and his six years as president of the Senate, he has a firm grip on how things work in the state Capitol. During her tenure, it often seemed like Noem was more concerned about where her next job was coming from than she was in learning how to do the job that she had.

All of Rhoden’s legislative and political know-how will be needed as he takes on the role of governor during a legislative session that includes an influx of lawmakers who are most kindly described as non-traditional Republicans. Given his experience, Rhoden may be the best choice to step into an ongoing legislative session and navigate what are sure to be some choppy political waters.

Anyone going into a new job, even a seasoned veteran of the Legislature like Rhoden, could use some guidance. Here’s some unsolicited advice for the man who will be South Dakota’s 34th governor.

Make peace with the state’s Indian tribes.

It’s best to let the tribes know early and often that there’s a new governor in town who doesn’t think that they’re collaborating with drug cartels and who would like to be welcome on the reservations. If you do believe they’re allied with the cartels, make sure you have some proof before you start making allegations. Even though the tribes are sovereign nations, they should be treated with the respect and courtesy due any other South Dakotans.

Don’t try to solve national problems with state dollars.

With the state budget you’ve inherited, there likely won’t be enough money for any more grand gestures. Even so, please resist the temptation to use taxpayer dollars on National Guard deployments to the Texas border. There’s plenty for you to spend those dollars on here at home.

Embrace the traditional forms of communication.

Sure, you can copy the social media apparatus created by your predecessor. But keep in mind there’s a significant portion of the population that still gets its information from legacy media. To communicate with those people, that means having regular news conferences during the legislative session. That means having a communications staff that answers media questions readily and fully. That means not wasting your time, and the media’s, by howling “fake news” when you don’t like what’s written about you and then calling regular press conferences to update the public during a disaster.

If you want to show that you’ve got a better grip than your predecessor on the importance of transparency, throw your support to Senate Bill 9. That bill calls for making public the calendars and appointment logs of statewide elected officials and department heads. Currently those documents can be, and the governor’s currently is, closed to public scrutiny. Backing SB 9 would show that you’re all for letting the public know how their elected officials are spending their time.

It’s possible to be a Republican without going full-MAGA.

You can have deep feelings about border security without investing South Dakota’s tax dollars in another state. You can hold on to your GOP bonafides without embracing popular conservative causes like Noem’s call for crippling budget cuts for public broadcasting or her plan to spend $4 million in taxpayer dollars on tuition for private school students.

Time is short, but don’t be afraid to take on a big project.

The next election for governor takes place in 2026 and while no announcements have been made, the field of candidates for the Republican primary already looks crowded. You’ll be the incumbent, likely pitted against U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, Attorney General Marty Jackley and a player to be named later from the less-than-traditional wing of the Republican Party. There’s still time to offer a big idea about how to handle property tax reform or how to get teacher pay out of the basement of national rankings. Even with two years as governor to bolster your name recognition, you’re going to need to accomplish something big that sets you apart from the crowd.

It’s probably best if you don’t follow Noem’s example.

Noem was always shooting for higher office — when she wasn’t shooting pets or farm animals. Those national ambitions have paid off for her. Now it’s time for South Dakota to have a leader intent on leading the state rather than using the time in office to buff up a resume.