BALLOT MEASURE RESULTS IN SOUTH DAKOTA SHOW “NO” CARRIES THE NIGHT, NEBRASKA MEASURES SPLIT THE RESULTS

In South Dakota the results we can see this morning show nearly all the ballot measures failing.  All the results I’m reporting this morning are with approximately 600 of the state’s 691 precincts reporting.

Amendment F would authorize the state to impose work requirements on Medicaid Expansion recipients when the federal government allows them and is the lone measure to pass in state as of this morning with 56% voting yes to 44% voting no…

Amendment E which would have updated references to officeholders in the South Dakota Constitution is sitting at 59% No to 41% yes…

Amendment G would restore abortion access in South Dakota and the AP called the race at 1:51 a.m. with over 60% of voters rejecting the amendment.

Amendment H would have created a top-two open primary system in South Dakota and the AP called the race at 11:16 p.m. with nearly 70% of voters rejecting the amendment.

Initiated Measure 28 would have prohibited the state from collecting tax on anything sold for human consumption, the AP called the race at 11:29 p.m. with over 70% of voters rejecting the

Initiated Measure 29 would allow anyone over the age of 21 to possess up to two ounces of marijuana. It is shown failing this morning with the count sitting at 57% against and 43% for.

And Referred Law 21 is a referendum of Senate Bill 201, which focuses on CO2 pipeline regulations passed by the State Legislature in Pierre last session. Those regulations dealt with setback authority, payments to counties and landowners, and easement deadlines.  This morning’s tallies show it being repealed with 60% of the vote being against and 40% being for.

In Nebraska the 2 abortion measures on the ballot split.  Initiative Measure 434, which will ban second and third trimester abortions without extreme circumstances is passing this morning at 55.3% to 44.6% against.  Meanwhile Measure 439 which put the emphasis on fetal viability as the determining factor is being voted down 51.4% against and 48.5% for.

Measure 435, asking voters to approve or repeal school vouchers in the state is on its way to being repealed, 57% to 42.9%

Measure 436, requiring employers to pay sick leave to their employees passed on a tally of 74.2% to 25.7%.

Then the companion measures 437 and 438, establishing the right to purchase and use medical cannabis and creating a state medical cannabis Commission both passed with 70.7% and 66.9% respectively.

 

CONGRESSMAN DUSTY JOHNSON WINS A FOURTH TERM IN THE US HOUSE

(AP) Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing South Dakota on Tuesday. Johnson captured his fourth term as the state’s single congressman by defeating Democrat Sheryl Johnson. The incumbent was among a minority of House Republicans who voted to certify Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. Before his election to Congress in 2018, he served on the South Dakota Public Service Commission and as chief of staff to then-Gov. Dennis Daugaard. The Associated Press declared Dusty Johnson the winner at 11:06 p.m. EST.

 

GRASSLAND AND OTHER CONSERVATION PROJECTS IN SOUTH DAKOTA RECEIVE $83 MILLION FEDERAL BOOST

SOUTH DAKOTA (Joshua Haiar / South Dakota Searchlight) – Six projects in South Dakota will receive a combined $83 million in grants from the federal government for grassland conservation and climate-smart agricultural practices, according to a recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The biggest award in South Dakota is $24 million to Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. Their project will fight the encroachment of eastern redcedar on grasslands by using prescribed fire to target the trees and by planting prairie grasses. The effort includes prescribed fire on 50,000 acres and other efforts to help landowners fight eastern redcedar encroachment on another 75,000 acres.

The area of focus includes lands along the Missouri, James and White River watersheds. Partners include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks; and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

“Through the implementation of conservation practices such as prescribed fire, brush management, and prescribed grazing, we will restore grasslands for the benefit of wildlife habitat and livestock forage here in ‘The Pheasant Capital,’” said Matt Gottlob, South Dakota state coordinator of Pheasants Forever, in a news release.

The grants for South Dakota are from a $1.5 billion national initiative, the Regional Conservation Partnership Program. The funding comes from the 2018 farm bill and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.

The South Dakota projects focus on preserving grasslands, enhancing wildlife habitats, and supporting tribal-led initiatives to restore ecosystems and strengthen local economies.

Grassland conservation is seen as a “climate-smart” investment because grasslands pull heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in their deep root systems. Prairie grasslands reduce erosion and improve water retention, making the land more resilient to climate impacts like droughts and flooding.

The Nature Conservancy received about $20 million to help fund conservation easements on 20,000 acres of grasslands in western South Dakota. The legal agreements restrict land development to protect the land’s natural value. The easements allow the landowner to retain ownership and use the property within agreed-upon limitations.

The South Dakota Second Century Habitat Fund received $11 million to support its Second Century Working Lands & Woody Habitat Program. The project will restore marginal croplands to grasslands that can be used for haying and grazing across the state.

Several projects involve Native American tribes. The Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate will receive $1.2 million to develop an index for assessing the environmental impacts of crop production on their land. The ultimate aim is to increase sustainable agricultural production on the reservation.

The Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance has been awarded $5 million for grassland restoration. Working with 16 Native nation partners, including several in South Dakota, the alliance will identify marginal croplands suitable for restoration and support Indigenous producers in managing the lands sustainably.

The InterTribal Buffalo Council, based in Rapid City and serving tribes in South Dakota and elsewhere, received $21 million to restore native grassland ecosystems through sustainable pasture-raised buffalo management.