Sioux Empire Podcast: Yes on T and 21, Hard NO on 19 and 20

The Sioux Empire Podcast studies all ten ballot measures and finds just two worth its approval: Amendment T (anti-gerrymandering!) and Initiated Measure 21 (36% cap on payday loans!). The podcast crew share the A.G.’s explanations and Pro/Con statements, then offer the following verdicts:

• Amendment R (vo-tech governance): “We’re neutral.”
• Amendment S (Glodt amendment): “Vote no, while this law is well intentioned, it’s unintended consequences could be harmful to South Dakota.”
• Amendment T (anti-gerrymandering): “We say Vote Yes.  The Sioux Empire Podcast cast operates in District 9.  If you want to see what Gerrymandering looks like, look at District 9, District 10, District 34, and the districts in Brown County (Aberdeen).”
• Amendment U (fake rate cap): “Run, don’t walk away from this thing.” (See also their August 3, 2015, podcast on the payday lenders’ nefarious petitioning tactics.)
• Amendment V (open nonpartisan primary): “While we like the IDEA of nonpartisan elections at the state level I don’t like the idea of taking away information from the voters.  We also feel this amendment may have unforeseen consequences beyond its main intent.  So with some hesitation we advise you to vote no on this one.”
• Initiated Measure 21: “Predatory lending is not good for anyone and if our boy John Oliver is against it, we’re against it.”
• Initiated Measure 22: “While we like the idea of getting some reforms in place to curb corruption in South Dakota we think this law goes way too far with it’s taxpayer funded campaign system.”
• Initiated Measure 23: “Something is fishy here and this law is way too vague.  I imagine this one could trigger way too many unforeseen consequences.  It seems like a backdoor way to force people to join a union if they do not want to.”
• Referred Law 19 (Incumbent Protection Plan): “Screw this law.  Vote No.  It is specifically designed to protect incumbents and make it harder for people to participate in our democracy.  It has no redeeming quality whatsoever.”
• Referred Law 20 (youth minimum wage): “F— this law. Seriously. What the f— is wrong with the people who dreamed this up.  South Dakota just voted to raise its minimum wage last time around.  Vote NO and send this thing back to the ash heap of history where it belongs.” (I wonder how RL 20 dreamer-upper David Novstrup feels about that assessment.)

Let’s update the South Dakota Blogosphere scorecard:

Issue	Dakota Free Press	South DaCola	SoDak Liberty	Bob Newland	Sioux Empire Podcast
Amendment R: Regents/vo-tech authority split	Yes	Yes	No	No	—
Amendment S: Glodt’s crime victims bill of rights	No	No	No	No	No
Amendment T: Independent Redistricting Commission	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Amendment U: Usury! Payday Lender Protection Clause	No	No	No	No	No
Amendment V: Open Nonpartisan Primary	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Initiated Measure 21: 36% Payday Loan Rate Cap	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Initiated Measure 22: Anti-Corruption Act	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Initiated Measure 23: “Fair Share” Union Dues	Yes	—	No	No	No
Referred Law 19: Incumbent Protection Act	No	—	No	Yes	No
Referred Law 20: Youth Minimum Wage Cut	No	No	Yes	No	No

The Blogosphere remains unanimous in supporting T and opposing S and U. Sioux Empire Podcast stands alone in opposition to V (and even they hesitate in negating). Libertarian SoDakLiberty is the only Nay on the 36% rate cap and the only Yea on cutting kids’ minimum wage, while Libertarian Bob Newland is the only supporter of RL 19’s petition changes. And I’m the only one willing to say Yes on “fair share” union dues.

If you find other complete online voting guides (other than Grudz’s inevitable squawking of “No on Everything” for comic relief), let me know, and maybe our giant table can help us predict the results on November 8!