In what could be seen as a campaign speech for the 2026 Governor’s race, Marty Jackley appeared in Watertown Oct. 1 to oppose most of the seven statewide ballot measures and constitutional amendments. The event was misleadingly promoted by the Chamber as a voter education forum. However, a true forum is a space where ideas and views are exchanged. With only one partisan viewpoint on stage, represented by our taxpayer-funded Attorney General, attendees quickly recognized the event’s actual purpose—to sway voters toward Jackley’s views. One concerning point was Jackley’s representation of Constitutional Amendment H on “Open Primaries.”
While Jackley acknowledged that both parties need to improve their appeal to voters, as evidenced by the low 17% turnout in June, he was strongly against Open Primaries, frequently misstating the facts. Party insiders, whom Jackley seemed to be catering to, heavily oppose the amendment. Amendment H proposes replacing the current closed primary system, which only a few states still use. Instead of separate Republican and Democratic primaries, there would be a single primary election where all registered voters could participate.
Jackley wrongly claimed that only “three or four states” have Open Primaries. This is false, and the Attorney General is well aware of it.
In reality, 26 states have some form of open primaries, whether “partially open,” “open to non-affiliated,” or fully “open.” These states include conservative strongholds like North Dakota, Montana, Missouri, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Alabama.
Jackley also downplayed the fact that all South Dakotans, regardless of party affiliation, fund the current primary elections. This includes 153,000 registered independents who are barred from voting under the current system. Without offering an explanation, Jackley claimed that an Open Primaries system would somehow be more expensive for taxpayers than maintaining two separate primaries.
It’s no surprise that the political parties dislike Amendment H, as it reduces their control and returns power to the voters of South Dakota. Jackley seems to overlook the fact that many are tired of party politics and want what’s best for the state, not for Republicans, Democrats, or their special interests.
Amendment H respects South Dakota’s long-standing values of independence and personal freedom. All South Dakotans deserve a vote and should not be restricted by party politics. It was disappointing to see AG Jackley fall short of his stated goal: to provide an unbiased review of both sides of the upcoming ballot issues. Instead, the only perspective offered was his intention to vote against nearly all of the ballot measures.
-Jason H. Pieper, Watertown