Do you like SD?

Then vote NO in NOvember!

{This is an article published in the Dakota Scout on Oct 4 2024}

In South Dakota, this November 5^th election is poised to have an enormous lasting impact on our way of life. And I’m not talking about Trump v. Harris. This year, there are seven ballot measures that we are being asked to vote on, and I would wager that most South Dakota voters know very little about most of them. It’s vitally important that voters educate themselves on these proposals before voting on them.

As chairman of a grassroots campaign named Vote NO in NOvember (VoteNoSD.com), my task is to educate our fellow citizens on the substantial dangers related to four particular ballot questions that many of us believe would have catastrophic impacts on our South Dakota way of life.

·      Amendment G

·      IM29

·      RL21

·      Amendment H

When I visit with South Dakotans about these issues, I ask one simple question: “Do you like South Dakota?” Every response I get is “Yes”. Every single time. If you enjoy living in our state, enjoy the culture, the people and the fruits of living in the Heartland, then why in the world should we radically change it? It makes no sense, particularly after what we’ve all collectively experienced these past five years. There’s been too much chaos., too much propaganda, and too little trust in our institutions. Each one of these four ballot measures would make South Dakota more like California, and I don’t mean the pleasant weather!

As a conservative, voting NO on all four of these ballot measures is a no-brainer. As a South Dakotan of any political persuasion (yes, even Independents), voting NO on Amendment H should also be an easy vote to place. It should be, but because of the enormous advertising budget that the proponents of H have at their disposal, we are being bombarded by propaganda messaging that can lead to confusion. Words like “Fair” and “Open” are strategically used as tools of persuasion, but the reality is that if H passes, our entire election system will become the opposite of fair and open.

No longer will the average citizen be able to realistically run for office to represent their district in Pierre, unless they can somehow come up with enormous amounts of money to be able to compete in what will essentially be another general election. Our local elections will become giant advertising campaigns, with candidates who are supported by Big Business and out-of-state special interests. The only reason that Amendment H made it onto our ballots in the first place is due to a $451,000 donation from a PAC by the name of “Unite America”, which has ties to East Coast billionaires. I wonder why these shadowy groups feel so compelled to radically change South Dakota? As I mentioned earlier, our NO in NOvember campaign is 100% a grassroots effort, with no ties to Big Business, “party bosses” or out-of-state organizations. Just regular folks trying to educate voters on the truth of these ballot measures.

Speaking of Big Business influencing our candidates and elections, David Knutson, crony of arguably the most powerful businessman in South Dakota T. Denny Sanford, recently spoke at a Sioux Falls Rotary debate in favor of Amendment H. As I sat in the audience, I was dumbfounded when David veered off-script and let slip what many of us suspect is the real motivation behind their push for H. This past June our primaries shocked many Establishment politicos when a large number of  truly grassroots candidates with very little money managed to defeat incumbent politicians; which Mr. Knudson opined was somehow damaging “to democracy”. Amendment H proponent and very well-connected Big Business fan Joe Kirby likes to make the claim that Amendment H would be “good for independents”, but it’s clear that the type of candidates that these men dream of are anything BUT independent.

Amendment H would also be bad for Democrat candidates and voters in in South Dakota. SD Democratic Executive Director Dan Ahlers has been making some very valid arguments across the state as to why H would make it even more difficult for candidates in his party to even get on the ballot in many parts of our state. A top-two “primary” system would seriously hamper genuine Democrat candidates from even considering a run in many districts, particularly West river.

So whether you consider yourself to be a Republican, Democrat or Independent, I am asking you to vote NO on Amendment H next month. We need clarity and transparency from our candidates, not more corruption from big money special interests.

And if you also love South Dakota, from the prairies to the Black Hills; and if you love our people and our way of life, I ask you to vote NO in NOvember.

Chris Larson

Chair – VoteNoSD

www.VoteNoSD.com