I See 1,800,000 Dead People
From the “Is anybody really surprised about this?” file: A new report by the Pew Center on the States finds that more than 1.8 million dead people are currently registered to vote. And 24 million registrations are either invalid or inaccurate. There’s little evidence that this has led to widespread voter fraud, but it has raised concerns that the system is vulnerable. This is NPR, so I am not surprised at the skeptical tone of the article. Here’s another thought: are we only concerned about “widespread voter fraud” or would should our concern begin with fraud perpetuated by a single….
Boehner Starts Well
John Boehner has begun well, as noted by his following statements as the new Speaker of the House: Some of the good things he said were as follows: The American people have humbled us. They have refreshed our memories as to just how temporary the privilege to serve is. They have reminded us that everything here is on loan from them. That includes this gavel, which I accept cheerfully and gratefully, knowing I am but its caretaker. After all, this is the people’s House. This is their Congress. It’s about them, not us. What they want is a government that….
The Old Way of Solving the Problem
With no more knowledge than you currently possess (that is, no quick searches or phone calls or clicking the following link) can you tell us which recently elected state governor said the following: The old way of solving the problem was continuing to raise taxes on people, and we just can’t do that anymore. The working families of [my state] cannot afford tax increases. The answer is going to have to be that we’re going to have to reduce government spending. Which of the following said this? Scott Walker (R) of Wisconsin Andrew Cuomo (D) of New York John Kasich….
Another Thune Tie for Noem?
Kristi Noem has just picked her chief of staff to be: Noem announced Thursday that Jordan Stoick (STOY’-ick) will manage the process of setting up her offices in South Dakota and Washington, D.C. before assuming the role of chief of staff after Noem is sworn in on Jan. 5. Stoick, a Mobridge native, is currently vice president of a Washington, D.C. public relations firm. What the article does not say, however, is that Stoick apparently did work for Thune (or at least his campaign) back in 2002, a slight difference to what Mount Blogmore is stating. So, she’s got a….
Voter Turnout in South Dakota
I was mistaken in my pre-election analysis about voter turnout in South Dakota. I had thought that we might see historically high numbers (75% plus) given the nature of the election– particularly the Duel on the Prairie for South Dakota’s seat in the House of Representatives. However, we had an average-to-low turnout of 62.26%. Looking at the official numbers again, we can see the following had voter turnout below 50%: Buffalo–43.43% Corson–37.12% Dewey–45.78% Shannon–34.90% Todd–40.27% Ziebach–45.33% Each of these counties was one in which Heidepriem won a majority (as noted here). In fact, these counties represent 6 of the 9….
Heidepriem and Medical Marijuana
There is so much data from yesterday’s election that I confess to feeling overwhelmed. I’m just starting to weed through things and see what I can learn. One of the things that stood out in a brief survey of the data was that Heidepriem was only slightly more popular than the medical marijuana question. From the Secretary of State’s site, we have the following raw numbers: Heidepriem with 38.48% (122, 002 votes) Medical marijuana with 36.69% (115,631 votes) Now, let’s look at all the counties in which each of the above took a majority of the votes. For 13 (medical….
Vote, Vote, Vote!
I am not advocating that we take the Chicago approach of “voting early and often.” I would, however, remind you that if you are able to vote and you choose not to, then you should (properly speaking) refrain from complaining about any public policy decision affected by that election until you do vote. If you are a South Dakotan and have still not looked at the ballot, go to https://apps.sd.gov/applications/st25cers/ and find out exactly what you will be looking at when you go to your polling place. My thoughts on the ballot measures/amendments are available via the following links: Thoughts….
South Dakota Initiated Measure 13 on 2010 Ballot
As with a number of other states, South Dakota will be voting on the question of whether marijuana should be legalized for the use of those who need it for medical reasons. This is on the ballot as Initiated Measure 13. And no, for any who are interested, the fact that federal laws would supposedly trump state laws is not part of the basis of my thinking. As someone who believes that the federal government should get out of many areas of our lives in accordance with its enumerated constitutional role, I am fine with the state establishing law on….
Daugaard vs Heidepriem and Noem vs Herseth Sandlin Now 2 Point Races?
From KDLT: Nielson Brothers Polling (NBP) continues it’s three day tracking survey of the 2010 South Dakota political scene. Weighted numbers from the polling window of Monday through Wednesday show the following. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin holds on to her edge in the race for US House. The Democratic incumbent receives support of 42.0 percent to 40.1 for Kristi Noem, the Republican challenger. B. Thomas Marking (Independent) makes gains from the previous NBP surveys, garnering 5.5 percent, while 12.4 remain undecided. Dennis Daugard, Republican Lieutenant Governor, continues to lead Democratic SD State Senate Minority Leader, Scott Heidepriem 43.7 to 41.3 percent. Undecided….
