VDA Testimony to SD House State Affairs Committee Hearing on Feb 10 in Opposition to HB 1169

On February 10, I testified (in person) before the SD House State Affairs Committee in Pierre and delivered the following statement in opposition to HB 1169:

“Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee.

My name is Zebadiah Johnson from Sioux Falls. I’m here on behalf of the Voter Defense Association of South Dakota and I’m testifying in opposition to HB 1169.

Our mission at the VDA is to defend the ballot initiative rights of South Dakota voters and ensure that laws and regulations governing electoral processes in South Dakota are reasonable, fair, and transparent.

The VDA opposes HB 1169 because the process for qualifying an initiative for the ballot should reflect the fact that South Dakota voters decide ballot questions on a statewide basis.

Our current system gives every South Dakota voter an equal voice when deciding whether we should vote on a question at all – and a geographic distribution requirement grants voters in sparsely populated districts greater power than urban voters in Pennington, Brown, Brookings, and other more populous counties when deciding whether to place a question on the ballot.

When it comes to voting on a ballot initiative or choosing a Governor or a Senator, we make those decisions as a state. Additionally, nominating petitions for a statewide or federal office do not require signatures to come from diverse regions around the state. The signature gathering process, which is already very difficult, should not deviate from the principle of one person, one vote (or in this case, one person one signature).

Thank you for hearing my testimony today.”

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