Commentary

Voters caught in middle as South Dakota's political parties unite against open primaries

By Dana Hess

South Dakota Searchlight

Posted 9/3/24

Just when we thought bipartisanship was dead in South Dakota, Democrats have joined Republicans in opposing Amendment H.

That amendment, on the ballot in November, creates what detractors are …

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Commentary

Voters caught in middle as South Dakota's political parties unite against open primaries

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Posted

Just when we thought bipartisanship was dead in South Dakota, Democrats have joined Republicans in opposing Amendment H.

That amendment, on the ballot in November, creates what detractors are calling a “jungle primary.” All candidates for office at the gubernatorial, congressional, legislative and county levels would be listed on the primary ballot, regardless of party affiliation. All voters would be allowed to vote in the primary with the top two finishers in each race going on to the general election in November. In the case of the state House of Representatives, where two candidates are elected, the top four finishers would advance out of the primary.

The sponsors of Amendment H say its passage will be an antidote to the Republican dominance in South Dakota politics. They claim it will open primaries to all voters, ending the closed Republican primaries that allow just a few people to decide who serves in the Legislature.

The state’s Republican Party has been against the concept since it was first introduced. “I don’t think downtown Sioux Falls should be deciding who we should have on our general election ballot,” Republican Party Chairman John Wiik told South Dakota Searchlight when the Amendment H petition drive kicked off. “It’s an old adage of mine: pick a side and stick with it. If you run in the middle of the road, you’re bound to get run over.”

Occupying the middle of the road are some of the more than 150,000 South Dakotans registered as independents or with no political affiliation, who get to help pay for the Republican primary but are not allowed to cast their ballots. Republican leaders are convinced that’s OK. Instead of letting those who pay for the primaries take part in them, they are more concerned with keeping Republican bloodlines pure.

While adamantly opposed to Amendment H, Republicans haven’t felt the urge to open their wallets and pay for their share of the cost of a primary. Concern about GOP dominance in the state has sparked Amendment H, yet Republicans haven’t offered to make their candidate selections in a caucus or a convention. It makes sense that if it’s really that important to ensure that only Republicans decide who represents the party, that party should be willing to take on some of the cost or put in some extra effort.

Originally taking no stand on the amendment, the Democratic Party has come out against Amendment H as well. Democrats have allowed independents to vote in their primaries for more than 10 years. While that seems like a generous offer, those primaries are rare. In June, Republicans had 44 legislative primaries. Democrats had one.

Democrats fear that they may be overwhelmed if Amendment H becomes law. Running for legislative office seems to be a new Republican badge of honor. The GOP’s 44 primaries included 121 candidates. District 30 in the Black Hills had six Republican House candidates for two places on the ballot. Democrats, with 47 total legislative candidates, are rightly afraid of getting lost in the crowd. They’d much rather have their candidates . just show up on the general election ballot instead of fighting their way through a crowded primary scrum.

The weakness of the Democratic Party in South Dakota can be seen in the number of candidates they have on the November ballot. In July and August there was a flurry of Democratic candidates dropping out of their legislative races. While many were replaced by new candidates, some were not. As it stood recently, Democrats had 16 candidates for the 35-member Senate and 31 candidates for the 70-member House.

Even in the unlikely event that all of the Democrats on the ballot are elected, they have still ceded control of both chambers to Republicans before a single ballot has been cast.

This turn of events comes in a year when Democrats did a better-than-usual job of recruiting candidates. No wonder they are worried that the passage of Amendment H will overwhelm them on the primary ballot so that there will be only Republican candidates left to slug it out in the general election.

The turnout for primary elections can be remarkably low. Just 17% of registered voters cast ballots in the June primary. While Amendment H backers hope opening the primary to all voters will increase participation, they are at the same time asking voters to make a significant change in their voting system.

If Amendment H passes, South Dakota will be left with an “open primary” that closely resembles a general election. Opening the political party primaries to all registered voters is a good idea as it lets the people who are paying for the election take part in the process. However, replacing the entire primary system with a new method for choosing candidates may be too much for voters to swallow.