No lack of issues to vote on this year

If there were ever an election to vote in, this November’s General Election is of the utmost importance, particularly in South Dakota, as we have a plethora of constitutional amendments, an initiated measure and a referred law to vote on. Our advice for you would be to do some homework on which way you are leaning on these issues before you head out to the polls, otherwise you might be in there all day reading and deciding.
It is our sincere hope that more people will turn out for the General Election than did for the primary, and we have no doubt that will be the case. The primary election had in the area of a 17 percent turnout, which is absolutely shameful, regardless of what or what is not on the ballot. Voting is our civic duty, and everybody who is able should get out the vote. Remember, as we always say, you don’t get to complain if you didn’t vote. That’s just the way it works.
We will also select a new President of the United States, as President Joe Biden announced he would not seek reelection (which we believe is a good thing), which means either former President Donald Trump or vice president Kamala Harris will be the next president. It appears this race is going to be another tight one, and every presidential election will likely be tight for the forseeable future as both sides are so dug into their candidates and positions they wouldn’t consider a vote for the other party if they were told they were going to be thrown into an active volcano unless they crossed the aisle.
“Well I’d rather be dead than vote for a (insert opposite party here),” would be the response.
According to 270towin.com, Kamala Harris has a slight lead in the national polls, although Trump does enjoy slight leads in some of the projected swing states, such as  Arizona and Georgia, while Harris leads in swing states such as Michigan and Nevada. Who will win? It’s anybody’s guess, and we likely won’t know the winner until days after election day anyway.
We aren’t here to endorse either candidate, but rather, we are here to encourage you to vote. Early voting is already open, so you are free to go to the auditor’s office at any time and cast your vote. It’s not a bad idea to vote early, as the weather may be inclement by the time November rolls around. Whenever you get out to vote, however, it’s just important that you vote. As broken and divided as our country may seem, it’s these elections that make our system move forward.
We don’t have a ton of races to vote on locally, but boy is there no lack of statewide ballot issues. Voters will decide the future of recreational cannabis, abortion rights, the food tax, and a host of other issues. The results of this election could really transform how the state operates moving forward.
Amending our state constitution is heavy stuff, so we ask you to carefully consider all constitutional amendments before voting. That’s not something that should be taken lightly.
Good luck to all candidates. Everyone get out and do that civic duty.