BROOKINGS Questions, concerns and then more questions. That was the practical outcome of a Tuesday evening study session where Brookings-area political leaders looked at the ramifications of a new South Dakota law affecting local municipal and school district elections.
Essentially, the Brookings City Council and the Brookings School Board must reschedule their elections starting in 2026. The current setup involves a joint election in the second Tuesday in April, but House Bill 1130 requires the boards of each body to choose one of these two options:
- The first Tuesday after the first Monday in June. In 2026, this would fall on June 2.
- The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. In 2026, this would fall on Nov. 3.
A litany of questions and concerns were raised among representatives from the city, school and Brookings County, including:
- Costs
- Timing
- State guidance, if any
- Ballot styles and voter experience
- Voter education efforts
- Nonpartisan nature of city and school elections
- Petition deadlines
- Turnout
- Absentee voting timeframes
While the odds are good that the South Dakota Legislature meant well when it passed HB 1130, lawmakers might very well have to go back to the drawing board in the months ahead to answer questions raised locally, let alone in other parts of the state.
Brookings-area lawmakers split on HB 1130. State House members Mellissa Heermann and Roger DeGroot, both R-Brookings, went in opposite directions Heermann supporting the bill, DeGroot opposing it. It ultimately passed in the chamber on a 52-16 vote on Feb. 10. Over in the state Senate, Tim Reed, R-Brookings, also voted against the bill, which passed there on a 23-11 vote on March 10.
The legislation was signed by Gov. Larry Rhoden on March 31 and went into effect on July 1. The City Council and school board must decide no later than Jan. 14 on what they want to do.
No decisions were made Tuesday night study sessions are just that, after all: study sessions. Attendees received a lot of information from a presentation conducted by City Clerk Bonnie Foster, including insights on elections taking place in June or November. Both have potential benefits and drawbacks.
If the citys election date was moved to June:
- A shorter ballot is possible, with local candidates being more prominent
- Fewer people might vote, including students at South Dakota State University
- Confusion is possible as well among voters, as independents and Democrats have typically not voted in June primary elections
- Candidate forums would take place in May, competing for attention with such things as school graduations and Memorial Day
- Newly elected officials would be seated at the first meeting in July, which is also the start of the next years budget planning
If, instead, the citys election date was moved to November:
- The ballot will likely be longer
- The election date would be well-known by the public
- A much-higher voter turnout is likely, including SDSU students
- Local candidates might lose visibility as they compete with state and federal candidates, along with any ballot questions
- Cost increases could also be borne by local candidates as they compete for the same advertising space and airtime.
- Candidate forums would take place in October
- Newly elected officials would be seated at the first meeting in December, which would be after the next years budget was adopted by the previous City Council
Two current members of the City Council would also be affected by the change in voting dates, as theyre up for re-election next year: Brianna Doran and Lisa Hager. Normally, theyd face city voters in April; instead, theyll now face voters in June or November. Their current terms would be extended by several months to accommodate the change, as defined by state statute 9-13-41.
The change would also have an impact on the county, since it oversees elections and voter registration, Foster noted.
Following her presentation and subsequent questions, some attendees offered their thoughts on the upcoming changes.
I think November is a better time to do this, Mayor Oepke Ope Niemeyer said. Its better voter turnout. I really, truly believe that November is a better deal, but thats my personal opinion.
Councilor Lisa Hager was of a similar school of thought.
I would agree that I think November is the best time to do this, especially given the fact that one of the major reasons for this bill was to increase voter turnout, she said. When everybody that were talking about is holding nonpartisan office, we want to make sure as many people as possible from all parties and independents can be voting. Considering that these are local entities, we want to make sure that our SDSU students will be able to participate as well.
Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].
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