Voter Registration Deadline

A reminder that the voter registration deadline for the Primary Election to be held on June 8, 2010 is Monday, May 24, 2010.

Failure to register by May 24th will cause forfeiture of voting rights for this election. If you are in doubt about whether you are registered, check the Voter Information Portal at www.sdsos.gov.

Registration may be completed during regular business hours at the county auditor's office, municipal finance office, secretary of state's office, and those locations which provide driver's licenses, SNAP, TANF, WIC, military recruitment, and assistance to the disabled as provided by the Department of Human Services.

You may contact the county auditor to request a mail-in registration form or access a mail-in form here.

Don't delay...get registered to vote!

Candidate Forum in Tyndall

Sen. Gant attended a Candidate Forum in Tyndall last night. It was a great event sponsored by the Bon Homme Co Republican Party and neighboring county officials as well. Here is an article on the event.

Article on Voter Turnout

Good article on some of the highest and lowest voter turnout percentages over the years.

"For example, the highest Republican primary turnouts in recent decades were 52.1 percent in 1994, which featured the Janklow-Miller battle for the governor nomination, and 50.7 percent in 2002, which had the contest between Mark Barnett, Steve Kirby and Mike Rounds for the gubernatorial nomination.

The lowest turnout in a Republican primary in recent years was 21 percent in 2000. The smallest Democratic primary of late was 15.9 percent in 1998.

The highest Democratic primary participation in current times was 50.7 percent in 2008 during the Obama-Clinton presidential fight.

By contrast, seven of the past 11 general elections saw turnout above 70 percent, and the lowest was 58.8 percent. "

Don't forget to VOTE!

Governor Rounds signs corporate campaign finance bill

Here is Senator Jason Gant, Governor Mike Rounds, and Representative Justin Cronin at the bill signing ceremony.

Good article about Gant's open government initiatives

Here is an article about Sen. Gant's involvement in open government intiatives...

http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/event/article/id/42406/group/Life/

Senator Gant to call for SD to be in line with national campaign finance regulations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Jason Gant 605-321-1596

March 3, 2010-Pierre, SD-Senator Jason Gant has announced plans to bring South Dakota in line with national campaign finance regulations regarding corporate campaign contributions.

Senator Gant, an announced candidate for South Dakota Secretary of State, stated at Wednesday's Senate Local Government committee meeting that, "Due to the recent United States Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, I feel it is important that South Dakota bring its campaign finance regulations in line with federal precedent." Senator Gant continued, "With that said, I want to ensure there is real transparency in those regulations so that South Dakotans know where corporate campaign contributions are coming from. South Dakotans deserve that level of openness in political campaigns."

In today's hearing, Senator Gant agreed with current Secretary of State Chris Nelson, that corporations should be allowed to voice political views, but worried that the current Secretary of State and his staff are leaving loopholes. Senator Gant helped close those loopholes when he proposed an amendment that would require in-state corporations to report those campaign contributions they were responsible for. The amendment further required that organizations-such as a trust, club or foreign corporation, that are not currently filing reports with our Secretary of State-have the requirement to disclose every political communication they fund, regardless of the amount. Finally, the amendment also requires that corporations that are formed by other corporations or organizations have the requirement to reveal who is truly funding their communication.

"I believe all South Dakotans should know who is funding corporate campaign contributions," Senator Gant concluded. "If corporations are going to be allowed some form of political speech, the Secretary of State has the responsibility to ensure all South Dakotans know who is funding that speech." Following the favorable vote on the Gant amendment, House Bill 1053 was passed unanimously.

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A photo from the campaign trail