So what is a PMB? It is short for Private Mailbox. Basically it allows people to vote in SD if they registered their address in the state. Some do it thru mail forwarding services, but some are just using business, campground or hotel addresses. They have been voting this way in SD for decades.
During the Minnehaha County Commission meeting today, where I thot Dean Karsky was going to cry, or throw something, several of the MAGAS showed up to also cry about this.
While I would agree with several commissioners that this is a state and federal issue when it comes to election laws I question the ‘issue’.
As an American citizen you have a right to vote, it is tied to your address and district. So why is voting for president in Arizona any different then South Dakota? (ok, I know, there are some differences, but play along).
I believe every American has that right, and where they choose to cast that ballot doesn’t mean a damn thing, as long as they only vote ONCE.
Now I get it, the state has been doing this for years due to the revenue from PMB’s. Also, what if you really do own a home or condo in Sioux Falls but have another home in Arizona four months out of the year. Where should they vote? Sioux Falls or Arizona? They have a constitutional right to the vote, are you denying them that right?!
While our system of PMB’s is unconventional, I don’t see a problem. I think a good change to state law is you can’t list a campground, business or hotel as permanent address you should be required to use a mail forwarding business or other permanent residency. Trying to tell someone who lives out of an RV eleven months out of the year they can’t vote in Federal elections goes against our values as a democracy. Whether you live here 12 months out of the year or in a van traveling the country side, you still have a right to vote. And with the internets being around for over 30 years anyone across the country or living in an RV can research the state ballot issues before voting or just skip voting for local issues and just cast a ballot for Federal candidates.
The irony of all this is that a lot of the RV voters are old white rich people that will likely vote for the same presidential candidate that these MAGA asshats will, so what gives?
I have said, if President Spaghettios loses, these folks will cry up until January then it will be over with. They don’t have the stamina or intelligence to keep pushing the issue, how do I know? I have been blogging about local government for about 20 years, and the one thing you see when certain groups show up to complain is they will move on to the next conspiracy theory that presents itself. Trump has created this rhetoric that certain people don’t have a right to vote. If you are legally in this country and NOT a convicted felon you can vote and don’t let these weirdos tell you any different. Let them take you to court and watch the judge throw out the case.
Changes do need to be made with PMB’s, but voting is only a small facet of those changes. Instead of yelling at Dean Karsky and Joe Kippley every month (though they deserve it for other reasons) why not work with the legislature to make significant changes? Instead of wasting your time on goofy websites you can also do a constitutional amendment or initiative to change the law. I think it would be pretty easy to get this on the ballot and would likely pass by over 60% of the vote.
I am a Trump supporter, and some of these people make me look bad. I believe in using public input in such manner to simply state my opinion, offer a recommendation, and provide a basic understanding of the topic, Many people fail to realize the difference in Domicle vs Residency. I have been beaten up by some in this group of people as well, it does not bother me other than it paints these people as loud mouths. I agree with Scott here, the proper channel to question the authenticacy of the ballots or our voter rolls is to work with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General or the Legislature to call forth a public investigation/hearing to study, review, audit, investigate our Domicile records, Master Voter File, and Ballots, You then compare other State’s voter rolls where we have common residencies, something our domicile records would present. Because an American cannot claim two domiciles, let alone be on more than one master voter registry, this should be an easy thing to prove by the Secretary of State and Attorney General. It creates a controversey between South Dakota and another State, or Group of States where the controversey exists. Then once proven, you can disqualify a ballot or voter for fraud. If these people at the S.D Canvassing are true to their word, they would not act as idiots. But work with the Legislature to prosecute other states. Mike Mathis said it right, he has to accept these new voters upon registration throughout the year. The Auditor then has to investigate and review the application to ensure that they have not committed perjury. This is why we close registration 15 days prior an election although, I believe, knowing this problem exists, we should change state law to close registrations 45 days prior all elections. There is a S.D Attorney General Opinion on the books that everyone should read, Legal Opinion 72-50 aka 1972 is the year, and Opinion #50 is an opinion given to the Clay County Auditor. Your answers can be found there.
– Mike Z
In its own right, PMBs are a legitimate issue, but the fact that Trumpsters are all upset about this, when these RV voters vote MAGA about 4 to 1, just shows you how stupid the average Trump voter is. Recently, I heard Howard Stern say that he used to enjoy having Trump on his show, and it isn’t Trump that bothers him as much as it is his stupid supporters, and this PMB approach by some local Trumpsters is exhibit “A” of their clear stupidity.
On another note, it will be interesting to see how the PMB vote impacts the District 15 state legislative races next month. Historically, 15 has been Democratic, but currently, the GOP has the plurality of the registered voters in that district due to PMBs. It was reported at a county Democratic meeting last spring that 1/3 of the registered Republicans in 15 are now PMB voters, and I’m confident that number has grown since then. So, don’t be surprised if the Republicans pick up a seat or two in 15.
When redistricting was completed in November of 2021, the Democrats had a slight plurality in 15, which caused Democrats to think they had two districts in Sioux Falls to their favor (15 and 10), but it looks like the GOP pulled a fast one on the Democrats with their PMB strategy in 15.
( and Woodstock adds: “Yup, it looks like they should have taken the pickle guy’s advice and gone with his map, which would have made 4 or 5 districts in Sioux Falls relatively competitive instead of just two guaranteed ones with one of those collapsing before their eyes”….. “It looks like the Dems bunkered down with their strategy when they should have employed a Tet Offensive approach to it, where you are everywhere and the enemy doesn’t know how to contain it”….. 🙂 ……)