The Secretary of State’s campaign finance website lists 15 active statewide ballot question committees, most of which show little or no activity this year on the four constitutional amendments placed on tomorrow’s ballot by the Legislature. The 15th committee alphabetically, Vote Yes for Our Kids, need not have filed any paperwork, since it isn’t actually a statewide ballot question committee.
Vote Yes for Our Kids organized to promote Milbank Ordinance 868, a temporary 1% gross receipts tax to fund construction of a $4.5-million child care center. The Milbank City Council put this penny sales tax on Tuesday’s ballot under the new provisions of 2026 House Bill 1245, which allows municipalities to implement this optional tax upon approval by at least 60% of participating voters. If approved, the tax can run for five years or until the amount designated for the project is raised, whichever comes first.
Chairing the ballot question committee supporting Ordinance 868 is Brian Sandvig, chief financial officer of Valley Queen Cheese and vice-chair of the state Board of Technical Education. The committee’s treasurer is Milbank banker Lance Junso. Sandvig and Junso filed organization papers in August and in October. They filed Vote Yes for Our Kids’ pre-general report showing zero dollars in, zero dollars out, on October 28, a dreadful nine days late… but don’t worry: they’ll face no penalty. SDCL 12-27-39 says South Dakota’s campaign finance requirements don’t apply to a Milbank city ballot question. Ballot question boosters (and boo-ers!) have to file campaign finance reports only if they are raising and spending money on statewide initiatives and referenda or on ballot measures in counties with more than 10,000 people or cities with 5,000 or more people.
According to the 2020 Census, Grant County has 7,556 people. 3,544 of them live in Milbank.
Nothing says supporters of Milbank Ordinance 868 can’t file campaign finance reports. But nothing in state law says they have to. So thanks for the optional transparency, Brian and Lance!