Elections

South Dakota Election Predictions

I can’t predict the presidential race, but I can very much guarantee Harris will win the popular vote by over 10 million. Unfortunately we act like this is 1910 and we use an old out dated electoral system based on pony express, so yes, MAGAts, your guy has a chance.

I think the Dems will take the house and the Repugs take the Senate.

As for the local referendums, initiatives, referrals and amendments, let’s go!

• CON AMEND E, this has to do with changing gender in our Constitution to include women. While I believe this will pass by 80% of the vote, don’t be surprised to see a ton of undervotes. I had a prominent Democrat woman tell me she voted NO. She said, I served many years, and the state constitution didn’t prevent me from serving.

• CON AMEND F, this has to do with changing Medicaid to have a work requirement. We have a 2.1% unemployment rate in SD, anybody who isn’t working CAN’T. I think this will fail by 55%. People in this state have a problem with the legislature messing with our initiatives.

• REF LAW 21, this will also go down in flames with the landowners winning. I think it will fail by 70% of the vote or more, same as above, screw our legislature and how out of touch they are with our issues.

• IM29, Legalizing Rec MJ, unfortunately polling has been erratic, but the pot folks haven’t seen a positive yet and I think they are losing ground, unfortunately, this will probably fail by 52%. I guess peeps will just have to keep smoking diet weed. Hopefully when pot gets ready for retail sales in Minnesota they will have bus tours to Luverne. I still think if Harris makes it in the WH, we will get Federal legalization within 5 years, and many peeps minor pot felonies will be erased from their records.

• IM 28, eliminating food tax. I have been enjoying all the Republican lawmakers in the state trying to pour cold water on this, it is an immoral tax, most know that and it will easily pass by 70% of the vote. I think in the 2026 legislative session our unimaginative leg will pass a retail tax increase on all other goods actually hurting low income people even more. I call the food tax a boomerang effect, and why I almost voted against it.

• CON AMEND H, Open primaries will also pass by 70% or more. Half of registered voters in this state are Indies and we are fed up with the minority parties (that’s really what they are) controlling our elections.

• CON AMEND G, Abortion legalization, this will pass by 55% of the vote or more, but our idiots in Pierre will take this to the SDSC and have it overturned. Sorry Sodak ladies, you have to go to Minnesota for MJ, abortion and a decent pork chop on a stick.

*On a separate note I believe Dean Karsky will be booted from the Minnehaha County Commission, and if that happens I may just send him a ‘pleasant’ note about all of his years of service after getting APPOINTED and not actually elected into public service 🙁

What’s up with PMB’s?

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.