South Dakota Matters postings

Democracy, elections, civic engagement and the media will be topics of discussion at a Democracy Conference to be held on the campus of the University of South Dakota on March 10. South Dakota News Watch is a co-sponsor of the event,

Holding elected leaders accountable for boorish or coarse behavior is one strategy to help restore civility to American politics, according to a panel of South Dakota experts in public discourse….

In the latest segment in the ongoing "South Dakota Matters" series of polls and panel discussions, South Dakota News Watch will host an online panel discussion on Sept. 29, 2022 with a group of experts on civility in American government and politics who will examine recent poll results showing that 79% of registered voters in South Dakota believe civility has worsened in the country over the past five years. Click the headline above to get a link to sign up to watch the free panel discussion live and submit questions to the experts.

Almost eight in 10 South Dakota registered voters said in a recent South Dakota News Watch poll that civility in America has gotten worse over the past five years, and only 2.6% said civility has improved. With the 2022 midterm election only weeks away, News Watch spoke to three experts on civility in South Dakota who all expressed concern but also provided hope that Americans can become more civil to one another.

A new statewide poll shows that a majority of registered South Dakota voters supports greater gun-control measures in the state, even as elected officials continue down a path of trying to make guns easier to buy and carry.

A July 2022 poll of registered South Dakota voters shows a majority do not support legalization of recreational marijuana, which will be up for a statewide vote on Initiated Measure 27 in the November 2022 election. Supporters of legalization question the validity of the poll findings, which run counter to other poll results and to the result of the 2020 election in which voters approved a constitutional amendment -- later overturned in the courts -- to legalize recreational marijuana for adult use in South Dakota.

In a July 2022 statewide poll commissioned by South Dakota News Watch, a majority of registered voters opposed a total ban on abortion in the state and an even larger majority supported holding a referendum in which voters, not lawmakers, would decide on future laws regarding the procedure.

Four experts on the child care crisis in South Dakota say Gov. Kristi Noem's proposal to spend $100 million to prop up the daycare industry in the state will be helpful, but is only a first step toward solving a crisis that is stressing working families and which could stifle future statewide economic growth.

As she embarks on a reelection campaign, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem received strong overall support for her performance in a recent statewide poll conducted by South Dakota News Watch and the Chiesman Center for Democracy at the University of South Dakota. While the results bode well for her political future, two professors from South Dakota say Noem has sometimes exhibited a divisive approach to politics that has increased polarization in the state and nation.

Two prominent economists from South Dakota say that eliminating the state sales tax on food purchases could benefit low-income families that already struggle to meet basic needs. South Dakota is one of only three states that charges the full state sales tax on grocery purchases; meanwhile, legislative efforts to reduce or eliminate the sales tax on food have consistently failed.