Former Sioux Falls mayor Knobe: Vote for Amendment H to allow independents to have a true say in SD government
There are three issues on the South Dakota General Election ballot impacting individual freedom and rights.
Here is my thinking on one of them, open primaries in South Dakota.
“It’s a scheme by Democrats and communists to destroy the Republican Party!” she shouts.
“It’s a plot by Republicans and fascists to destroy the Democratic Party!” he yells.
I calmly respond, “Open primaries is not a plot or a scheme to destroy anything. The purpose of opening the primary election is to guarantee the national constitutional right to vote for ALL citizens, regardless of party.”
When the country was created there were no organized parties. George Washington and other Founding Fathers warned against their creation, fearing a threat to the freedoms they fought to obtain.
In South Dakota, as an independent, I’m prevented from voting in a very important election, the Republican Primary. I’m allowed to vote in the Democratic Primary only because Democrats changed their party rules to allow it. They could reverse that rule at any time.
The fact that independents can’t vote reminds me of something I learned in history class, “No taxation without representation.”
Independents, over 150,000 of us, are paying taxes to fund an election we can’t vote in! (That’s more than the combined populations of Rapid City, Aberdeen and Watertown).
In the United States today, there aren’t many things uniting us.
Partisanship and the rancor that goes with it is at an all-time high. It’s affecting our cultural norms and our mental health. Many say we are on the precipice of losing our democracy.
How can we make a difference? Opening the primary election so every registered voter can vote is a good start.
Vote yes on Amendment H.
Twenty states have some form of open primaries. Sadly, we are not one of them.
States that have adopted open primaries have seen two fundamental and important results: More people vote and hard partisanship has gotten softer. Compromise happens. Things get done to benefit all of us.
A plus, I think.
If you believe the needs of our country and our people should come before the control and whims of party bosses, you should vote yes on Amendment H.
State government number crunchers estimate 50,000 more people will vote.
The cost is $28,000 statewide to print ballots. To me the cost is minimal and the benefit, allowing all voters to vote, is priceless.
Elections belong to the people, not political parties.
Our governor and others promote, “Freedom Works Here.”
With your yes vote to open primaries, Amendment H, that phrase will become more than a political punchline.
Rick Knobe is a former mayor of Sioux Falls and a longtime radio talk show host who is now retired but remains active and involved in his community and state. His columns appear regularly on The South Dakota Standard.
