Election day is less than a week away. At this point many of us are familiar with the major races, thanks in part to the final push of campaign ads. But South Dakotans will make several other decisions when they head to the polls on Tuesday.
Northern State University political science professor Dr. Kenneth Blanchard says he can’t remember a year in which he’s heard less about the ballot initiatives.
“Nobody’s been talking about it. At least nobody that I’ve noticed. Of the three, probably the most interesting is the minimum wage, Initiative 18,” Blanchard says.
Initiated Measure 18 raises the minimum wage for non-tipped employees from $7.25 to $8.50 an hour. Those for the measure say it promotes economic fairness and puts more money in the pockets of hard working people who grow the economy. About 62,000 South Dakotans will earn more if the measure is passed. And proponents say it won’t have a negative effect on employment.
But opponents say it goes too far. Initiated Measure 18 includes an annual adjustment. The minimum wage will rise each year along with the cost of living. Blanchard says there could be problems if the minimum wage increase makes doing business in South Dakota higher than the cost of doing business in other states.
“Once it goes beyond a certain point, when it’s considerably higher than businesses would otherwise have to pay, then, what businesses do is they start cutting labor,” Blanchard says. “They could start cutting jobs. If the constant increases or the adjusted increases lead to artificially high wages for entry level businesses like McDonalds or Perkins, then at some point along the line it is going to hurt job seekers.”
Opponents also say prices could go up, and worker benefits could be reduced. Blanchard says like with any issue, it’s important to do your research before heading to the polls.
“People should simply ask themselves if they know enough about the economic effects of the minimum wage to pass it,” Blanchard says. “And if you’re not sure that it’s really going to do any good, don’t vote for it. And if you are, well, you know, it’s your vote.”
South Dakotans will also cast their vote for or against Initiated Measure 17. This measure requires health insurers to include all willing and qualified health care providers on their provider lists. This could mean seeing a doctor closer to home instead of traveling to find one within your insurance company’s network. But opponents say it will end up costing patients more money. Dr. Jon Schaff is a political science professor at NSU. He says the issue is a bit complicated.
“On the one hand, you’ve got the issue of should people have the right to choose their own doctor regardless of what your insurance company prefers,” Schaff says. “On the other hand the hospitals would say that they like to negotiate particular deals with particular insurance companies, and they can save their patients money by establishing relationships with certain doctor networks. The problem is if you then leave that network you don’t get the coverage that you normally would.”
Schaff says the two arguments are patient choice verses saving money, although those don’t have to be mutually exclusive, and those in favor of the measure say it won’t actually raise costs. Schaff says any vote is a values clarification moment.
“What do I think is the higher value in a dispute such as with Initiated measure 17 where you have conflicting good things,” Schaff says. “People want to save money and they want to choose their own doctor without the insurance company telling them who they have to go to. So it’s a matter of spending some time thinking about and clarifying one’s own values as to what is the most important thing as you step into the voting booth.”
Voters will also make a decision on Constitutional Amendment Q, which authorizes the Legislature to allow roulette, keno, and craps in Deadwood.
And they’ll have several statewide races to decide on as well. But for a few offices, voters will choose between a Republican and a Libertarian, but no Democrat. Schaff says that’s disappointing.
“I think it’s unfortunate in many of the races that the Democrats failed to put forward a candidate, such as the Attorney General’s office, the Auditor’s office,” Schaff says. “It’s unfortunate that the second major party in the state couldn’t find candidates in some of these offices because the voters deserve to have a choice. And they do for every race, though it’s often minor party candidates. That’s nothing against minor party candidates. But minor parties are minor parties for a reason. They don’t have as many members.”
Schaff says many of the races are also low-information. Some of the candidates don’t have websites, and haven’t been in the news that often. He recommends going to the Secretary of State’s website, or to the county courthouse to find a ballot question pro/con pamphlet, and a sample ballot. Then, he says, start Googling.