I attended the “State of Our Elections” presentation by South Dakota Canvassing Group at God’s Country Campground near Platte on October 16, 2023.

An engaged crowd was from Charles Mix, Tripp, Gregory, Todd, Aurora, and Douglas counties in District 21, plus people from Brule, Beadle, Davison and more.

Charles Mix, Davison and Douglas county auditors were there as was a county commissioner from Gregory. District 21’s three legislators and CM county commissioners did not attend.

Concerns about our election process is not focused on one area. Voter rolls have many issues. I looked at the Charles Mix voter roll this spring. One person was registered twice and many people I know who are deceased as far back as 2013 were still on the Charles Mix voter roll.

We have the “evil machine” counted ballots. Machines without modems having modems and supposedly not connected to the internet. My cell phone has no long cord connecting it to the internet, yet it is. I have no doubt that the machines CAN accurately count ballots, and the other company’s machines CAN compile and report the results so why does it state in the machine’s information that totals can be changed?

Cities, schools, and other organizations have their records audited regularly. There are bank auditors, IRS auditors (I hear they carry guns now), and grain auditors who measure grain at commercial elevators to verify bushels listed in their machine records. Do counties get their records audited?

Why the resistance to audit elections in South Dakota? You can watch the county auditor run 1010 sample ballots through the machine to verify it correctly counts those sample ballots. But what about the counting, compiling, reporting, initial marking, and collecting of real ballots?

You can get involved as a poll worker or a poll watcher. You can talk to your local state legislators and other elected public officials about your concerns. Like Ronald Reagan, I trust, but know the need to verify. Trust in our elections is a nonpartisan issue. Dave Spier