Letter to the Editor - Merrill: Bills, bills and more bills

The South Dakota Legislative session is now half over, and if you’re like me, you might be relieved it will soon wind down. As a kid I remember, my grandpa (a Republican) joking that maybe the legislature should only meet every other year. This way, we wouldn’t have to hear about so much meaningless legislation year after year. Now that I am older and much more invested in politics, I definitely see the need for our citizen legislature.
But I can’t help but wonder why on earth each year hundreds of bills are brought forth, many for self-serving reasons. This year, there has been a constant stream of bills that I perceive as an attack on our right to vote and ballot initiative process.
First and foremost, safe and secure elections are the cornerstone to our democracy. For years, elections in our state have been run just fine. So why this sudden knee-jerk reaction to a problem that doesn’t exist? There’s no evidence of fraud. The one clerical error pertaining to 273 non-citizens was caught by the Secretary of State. So, do we really need a citizenship designation on our driver’s licenses? Had this policy already been in place, these 273 people would have a driver’s license saying they are citizens. Isn’t that a much bigger problem?
I’m also concerned with HB 1180, which will require school board candidates to list their party affiliation. These offices can be hard enough to find good candidates to run – does party affiliation really make a difference? I have seen excellent school board members of both parties serve. No one questioned their party affiliation – they did what was right! I, myself, served on the non-partisan city council as one of the youngest ever elected in Parker. We didn’t worry about party affiliation; we focused on doing what was right for our community and the citizens.
And each year, Republicans continue their attack on our ballot initiative process. HJR 5001 will remove Medicaid expansion, which is directly in conflict with what voters passed in 2022. Regardless if you supported this, once again our elected officials are trying to take away OUR voice. How many times has this happened in the past 20 years? Time and time again, voters pass a measure only to see our elected officials toss it out!
I’ve also watched SB 103, which would prohibit the use of voting centers. Rural communities rely on these centers for elections. Again, I ask, if we are serious about wanting every South Dakotan to vote, we need to give them the opportunity! Thankfully, this bill died in the Senate.
The South Dakota State Motto is “Under God the People Rule”. That means you, me and every South Dakota citizen. So why aren’t our legislators listening. It seems to me the old saying, ‘Accountability for thee, but not for me’ can be applied to this year’s session.

Shane Merrill

Parker