- Thousands more signatures than necessary were submitted in favor of a “top two” primary system in South Dakota.
- Under the proposed system — which has already been implemented in states like California and Washington — candidates from all parties would appear on one, nonpartisan ballot, and the top two would advance to the general election, regardless of affiliation.
- Deanna “De” Knudson, a registered Republican who is sponsoring the measure, stated that she believed the current nominating system “excludes about half of voters from the real race, and we just really believe that this is a matter of fairness. “
Supporters of a “top two” primary system in South Dakota, which would replace the current party political process with one open to all voters, have submitted thousands more petition signatures than needed to vote on their ballot initiative this fall.
On Monday, sponsors of the South Dakota Open Primaries said they had submitted petitions with 47,000 signatures to Secretary of State Monae Johnson's office. The measure group needs 35,017 valid signatures to vote in November. Johnson's office has until August 13 to ratify the measure, a proposed constitutional amendment.
Under South Dakota's current primary system, candidates in gubernatorial, congressional, legislative and county races compete in a partisan primary. The measure would allow all candidates to compete against each other in a single primary, and the top two vote-getters in each race or for each seat would advance to the general election. A similar measure failed in 2016.
NOEM DISCUSSES feeling 'threatened' by NIKKI HALEY, A CONTROVERSIAL DOG MURDER, TRUMP VP SPECULATION IN BOOK
Other states such as California and Washington have “top two” primaries, similar to the measure proposed in South Dakota.
Measure sponsor Deanna “De” Knudson, a registered Republican, said she doesn't think the state has a fair system, in that it “excludes about half of voters from the real race, and we just really believe this is a fair system.” problem.”
The South Dakota State Capitol is photographed in Pierre, South Dakota. (Educational Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Republicans control the South Dakota legislature and hold all elected offices and congressional seats statewide. Democrats have not won a statewide election since 2008, when former U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson and U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin won reelection for their final terms.
South Dakota has nearly 602,000 registered voters, including 304,000 Republicans and 144,000 Democrats, but according to online voter registration, there are a total of nearly 150,000 voters registered as “no party affiliation” or “independent.”
Republican Party Chairman and Senator John Wiik said he strongly opposes the measure. He said he sees “nothing good coming out of this for the Republican Party.” The Republican Party's central committee unanimously opposed the measure, he said.
“I want Republicans to be able to choose the Republican candidate, and Democrats to be able to choose the Democratic candidate,” Wiik said. “If you want to be independent, then you are independent of the decisions that affect your life.”
Knudson said the measure would create a much more competitive process and “ensure that the winning candidate is the one that most South Dakotans agree on.” She questioned the balance of power in the Legislature, where Democrats hold 11 of 105 seats, and whether that truly reflects the will of voters.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Democratic Party Executive Director Dan Ahlers said the party has not taken a position on the measure. The Democratic Party allows “no party affiliation” and independent voters to vote in the primaries, along with registered Democrats.
