Among the items that South Dakota voters will decide this November is an Amendment that would change how Legislative districts are drawn.

Every ten years a census is taken and the South Dakota Legislature appoints a team to shape new regions to match shifts in population with the goal of making each district an equal number of people. Matt Sibley of Huron who supports Amendment T says by changing the constitution to have an independent organization do the task would build trust and embolden voters.

“(Amendment T) is trying to fix a number of problems. One being the conflict of interest that currently exists in the system and another is the lack of voter participation. We see the voter numbers going down. It’s about getting more people involved in the election process.”

In addition, Sibley feels that the current system doesn’t accurately reflect the will of the voters.

“This isn’t a Republican, Democrat or Independent issue. It’s a voter’s rights issue. Legislators shouldn’t be choosing their voters. Voters should be choosing their Legislators.”

If enacted, three Republicans, three Democrats and three people not affiliated with a major party would be in charge of changing the voting maps who would be selected by the South Dakota Board of Elections. Republicans have said they oppose the measure.

 

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