Political heavyweights join forces to oppose ballot measure
A national conservative organization is joining forces with two statewide business associations to defeat an initiated measure on November’s ballot.
Americans for Prosperity, the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the South Dakota Retailers Association will oppose Initiated Measure 22, which backers have dubbed as a set of good-government reforms aimed at preventing corruption in South Dakota government.
Ben Lee, the chairman of Defeat 22 and the state director for Americans for Prosperity, said the coalition planned to start an advertising blitz on Friday that included radio ads, mailers and door hangars to begin educating voters about the measure.
“From the ballot committee’s perspective, we will be launching a significant effort to educate South Dakota voters about what we think are the flawed philosophies and schemes of IM 22,” Lee said.
In an email, Rick Weiland, the chairman of the pro-IM 22 campaign said he was not surprised that Americans for Prosperity, which receives funding from the conservative Koch brothers, was opposing the measure. He was surprised that the chamber and retailers opposed the act because South Dakota ranked third in the country for being most at risk for corruption, according to a review of state laws by the Center for Public Integrity.
The measure comes on the heels of two high-profile corruption investigations: The EB-5 Immigrant Investor scandal that led to the suicide of a former cabinet official and the prosecution of another former state official, and the Gear Up scandal, in which a Platte family of six died in a murder-suicide amid allegations that a program meant to enhance Native American education opportunities was raided by those who oversaw the program.
Initiated Measure 22 establishes a five-member state ethics commission, establishes limits on lobbyists, rewrites the state’s campaign finance laws and reduces the amount of money by lowering campaign contribution limits.
“The Anticorruption Act establishes an independent ethics commission, demands more government transparency and accountability,” Weiland said. “With the EB-5 and Gear Up scandals, and the loss of life associated with them – not to mention the millions of taxpayer dollars lost and wasted because of those scandals – passing the Anticorruption Act is essential to making our state less vulnerable to corruption.”
The measure also establishes a system to publicly fund participating candidates with so-called “democracy credits,” which would consist of two $50 dollar vouchers mailed each election year to each of the state’s registered voters. Voters could assign their democracy credits to candidates who agree to participate in the program.
It’s this portion of the measure that opponents are focusing on.
“When you’re running for public office you should be able to go out and raise funds on your own accord and not on the backs of taxpayers,” said Shawn Lyons, the executive director of the Retailers Association.
Chamber president David Owen said his members worry publicly financed campaigns will divert millions of dollars from basic government services. If each of the more than 520,000 registered voters assigned their democracy credits, it would mean $52 million.
“Even if it’s $9 million, that’s money that’s not going to go to paving roads, schools and locking criminals up,” Owen said.
Lee said he expects other groups to join the coalition.
“People are reaching out to us with the desire to defeat 22,” he said.
