South Dakota News Watch and South Dakota Public Broadcasting are building on an effort they started ahead of last year's election with several upcoming televised and in-person events.
The League of Women Voters of South Dakota and Chiesman Center for Democracy at the University of South Dakota have also signed on as partners.
The series of town halls, discussions and community gatherings is intended to increase civic engagement and media literacy. It will provide South Dakotans with information about the political process and what’s on the ballot and help them identify credible media sources so they can be informed.
The free events start Sept. 18 with a live, televised town hall from the Capitol rotunda in Pierre about the separation of powers. Those taking part will include the governor and lieutenant governor, two Supreme Court justices, and House and Senate legislators from both major parties.
"What this is, is understanding government," said Cara Hetland, director of radio and journalism content for SDPB. "Hearing directly from elected officials as to how they understand how government works and understanding the media in the process."
Civic duties and responsibilities
Understanding government and knowing what's going on are among the civic duties and responsibilities of living in a democracy, said Julia Hellwege, director of the Chiesman Center and USD associate professor in political science.
"The more all of us all are engaged and informed, the more opportunity we have to be involved in the decision-making process," she said. "Otherwise we’re letting politics happen to us. If we’re concerned about the things happening to us, the best thing to do is to be involved in the process."
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Chiesman and South Dakota News Watch co-sponsor scientific polls twice a year. Chiesman also financially supports efforts like the civics and media series as part of its mission to promote civic education and civic engagement, Hellwege said.
She encouraged people to look for other ways to engage in their own area, such as Constitution Day events.
Members of the League of Women Voters, who belong to both major parties, will answer questions about the political process and help people register to vote at most of the events.
"Everything from municipal bond rates to engagement with our elected officials is affected by the presence or absence of unobstructed, nonpartisan local media outlets," said Amy Scott-Stoltz, president of the League of Women Voters of South Dakota.
"The League strives to educate the public on issues of importance to our democracy. And our purpose with this partnership is to start a conversation about the importance of a free press and how it affects our civic life."
Civics and media events schedule
More events are in the works, but here are those scheduled so far:
Thursday, Sept. 18, 8-9:30 p.m. Central time at the Capitol rotunda in Pierre and televised live on SDPB: "Separation of Powers Town Hall" on how the system of checks and balances works in South Dakota. Representatives from each branch of government who plan to take part: Gov. Larry Rhoden and Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen; Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven Jensen and Justice Patricia DeVaney; Republican Rep. Scott Odenbach of Spearfish, House majority leader, Republican Sen. Carl Perry of Aberdeen, Senate assistant majority leader, Democratic Rep. Erik Muckey of Sioux Falls and Democratic Sen. Jamie Smith of Sioux Falls, assistant minority leader. A limited number of tickets will be available.
Wednesday, Sept. 24, 6-7 p.m. Central time at USD's Al Neuharth Media Center, 555 N. Dakota St., Vermillion: Hellwege will give an overview of the state of democracy and people's perceptions of it using South Dakota poll results and national research. She'll also provide insights into the role of polarization and partisan politics on people's perceptions of democracy on the national stage and how it's different among different gender, age and geographic groups. The USD Political Science League will host the event and provide snacks starting at 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 30, 5-6:15 p.m. Mountain time at The Hive, 512 Main St., Suite 160, Rapid City: A presentation and Q&A on the changing landscape of civics and media. Presenting will be Kathy Johnson, president-elect of the League of Women Voters of South Dakota, and Carson Walker, CEO of South Dakota News Watch. Members of the Black Hills Area League of Women Voters will be on hand to register people to vote. Drinks and light appetizers will be served.
Friday, Oct. 10, 9-11 a.m. Central time at SDPB in Sioux Falls (601 N. Phillips Ave.) and Rapid City (415 Main St.) and live online at sd.net: Unified Judicial System staff will explain how the state court system works and how journalists and members of the public can access court documents and attend hearings. The participants: Seventh Circuit Presiding Judge Robert Gusinsky, Seventh Circuit Court administrator Liz Hassett, Pennington County clerk of court Amber Watkins, Second Circuit Judge Jon C. Sogn, Second Circuit court administrator Karl Thoennes and UJS public information officer Alisa Bousa. The South Dakota Bar Foundation co-sponsors this twice-annual training. Watch previous training sessions.
Monday, Nov. 3, 6-7 p.m. Central time at Vermillion (location to be determined): Michael Card, USD emeritus professor of public policy and management, will discuss South Dakota's initiated measure and voter referendum processes. It will include the situation in 1898 that led to passage of the initial constitutional amendment and the 1972 vote that expanded the petition process to propose constitutional amendments.
April 2026: Televised town hall on SDPB before the primary election.
September 2026: Televised town hall on SDPB before the general election.
This story was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit organization. Read more stories and donate at sdnewswatch.org and sign up for an email to get stories when they're published. Contact Carson Walker at carson.walker@sdnewswatch.org.
