Simplified: Sioux Falls Simplified proved itself as a valuable resource with the mayoral election this spring, and in the year of never-ending election season, we're back this fall with a comprehensive guide to Sioux Falls-area state legislative races, county races and ballot issue explainers. Here's what you can expect.

Why it matters

  • At the risk of sounding like a broken record, voting is important. Elections are one of the most direct ways residents can influence local government, and because voter turnout in South Dakota is historically quite low, your vote can really carry a lot of weight. (Remember a few months back when the mayor won on only four votes??)
  • The state legislative candidates we elect in November will go on to make decisions about how South Dakota spends money in the coming years, as well as any other changes to state law.
  • The greater Sioux Falls area has 11 legislative districts, which amounts to a total of 33 lawmakers. That's about one-third of the total lawmakers who take to Pierre each winter to set the budget and vote on the laws that govern the entire state.
"Yeah, this stuff really matters," SF Simplified Founder Megan Raposa said (to herself as she writes this at 10 p.m. on a Tuesday night). "If you've ever rolled your eyes at a news story about something that came out of Pierre, this election is your chance to pick people who will (hopefully) make you roll your eyes less."

Here's how we're covering the election

For the past several weeks, Raposa has been reaching out to each of the state legislative candidates to sit for candid, face-to-face interviews covering a wide range of policy topics.

  • All candidates are asked the same slate of questions with topics ranging from data centers to funding education to the state's election law (and several more).

Interviews will be compiled for candidates in each district – with Q&A-style stories putting each candidate's answers together for easy comparison.

  • These candidate-based guides will be based on policy stances, not party affiliation. The hope is that you're evaluating the candidates on their policy priorities moreso than on the letter next to their name.

When is this all happening?

The goal is to have all guides published within the first week of October, as several candidate interviews are still in-progress.

Since early voting has already started, if you have a question about a specific district, policy or candidate and need to cast a ballot before the full guides are published, you can reach out to me directly at megan@sfsimplified.com. I'll do my best to share the information I've collected so far to help you make a decision.