Along with the three substantive vetoes I reported yesterday, Governor Dennis Daugaard issued two style-and-form vetoes on the final day of his consideration of bills.
Governor Daugaard is concerned about the verb comply in Senate Bill 76:
The Department of Tribal Relations, in off-election years, shall in cooperation with the secretary of state, counties, and tribes comply with the Help America Vote Act and assist with election grants, education, and satellite-voting center locations on Indian reservations.
The Governor says he’s fine with the Department of Tribal Relations helping election officials and tribes satisfy HAVA rules for voter access, but comply “implies incorrectly that the Department itself is regulated by HAVA. Because the Department does not administer elections, it cannot be required to ‘comply’ with HAVA.” The Governor thus recommends that the Legislature replace comply with assist.
The error Governor Daugaard identifies in Senate Bill 90 is less legal and more grammatical. He scrolls down to Section 6 of the revisions to mobile/manufactured home title and tax law and finds one stray word:
If a manufactured home being sold and is reclassified as exempt property, in addition to taxes due and payable at the time of the sale, the current year’s real property taxes shall be paid at the time of title transfer.
Strike that errant and, says the Governor, and Senate Bill 90 will be fine.
Daugaard, ever the comedian. Just from the bit o’ history of HAVA program and South Dakota wingnuts, the onus should be put on the SOS’s office to cooperate fully with Native Americans on this. Seems the foot dragging and refusal to spend appropriated money comes from Pierre. Or is this another alternative fact piece?
Maybe the Tribal Relations people should be in charge of elections on the reservations. Anybody every consider that?