A bill in Pierre would keep presidential election vote totals secret.
The
Rapid City Journal
reports that SB103 would allow the secretary of state to provide percentages of votes cast, but not the actual vote totals.
Sen. Jim Stalzer (R-Sioux Falls) is a sponsor of the bill. He says the legislation is needed to prevent a national popular vote.
The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact would select the president based on popular vote rather than the Electoral College.
I remain an erstwhile supporter of the Electoral College, but this legislation seems like cutting off our nose to spite our face.
The Executive Director of the South Dakota Newspaper Association was among those testifying against the bill.
Dave Bordewyk fears withholding vote totals would raise “suspicions in the minds of those who participated in the election.”
“Our concern with this bill is the withholding of the actual votes from the public after an election,” Bordewyk said.
Bordewyk is absolutely right.
Stalzer should be applauded for his wish to protect and preserve the Electoral College.
However, more government secrecy is hardly a viable solution. In fact, it’s the last thing we need in a state where governments at every level has been far too quick to operate behind closed doors.
The committee approved the bill on a vote of 6-2. Now it goes to the full Senate.
Let’s not undermine the transparency of our election process by hiding it from view.
In this case, the ends do not justify the means.
