PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — A top official for the South Dakota Democratic Party is challenging what the public has been told by leaders of a group trying this fall to change the state’s method of choosing candidates in primary elections.
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Democratic primary elections are open to independent and no-party-affiliation voters in South Dakota, contrary to statements suggesting that the Democratic primaries are open to only voters registered as Democrats, according to Dan Ahlers. He is executive director for the South Dakota Democratic Party.
Ahlers disputes statements made by Joe Kirby and other leaders in the South Dakota Open Primaries movement that put Amendment H on the November 5 general-election ballot. The group wants the South Dakota Constitution changed, so that all candidates for an office would run in the June primary election, with the top two finishers advancing to the November general election, regardless of their party affiliations.