House lawmakers in South Dakota are voting against forming a select committee to investigate the residency of District twenty seven’s Peri Pourier.
The house voted sixty-two to five against a call for a committee.
The call for a select committee to inquire about Representative Pourier’s residency was brought by Representatives Steve Livermont and Sam Marty.
Of the four-way race for two seats in District 27, Peri Pourier came in with the most votes, and Livermont in second. That edged out incumbent Elizabeth May, who is Representative Marty’s sister.
At play is the state’s loose definition of residency.
Livermont, a Republican district mate with Pourier, says constituents have tried to bring up the issue for eight months.
“Only to see no results,” Livermont says. “We are left here, as there’s still doubt in many people’s minds. The definitions of residency is not what a common man would think it is. I’m afraid that the attempt to define residency to protect trust laws may be jeopardizing our election laws.”
Two west river Republicans publicly challenged Pourier’s and State Senator Red Dawn Foster’s residency, both Oglala Lakota Democrats moments before they were sworn in to office.
Republican leadership in both chambers say there’s plenty of evidence that the two lawmakers should remain seated.