The South Dakota State Capitol is photographed in Pierre, South Dakota. (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Republicans control South Dakota's Legislature and hold all statewide elected offices and congressional seats. Democrats haven’t won a statewide election since 2008, when former U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson and U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin won reelection to their last terms.
South Dakota has nearly 602,000 registered voters, including 304,000 Republicans and 144,000 Democrats, but people registered as "no party affiliation" or "independent" total nearly 150,000 voters, according to online voter registration tracking.
State Republican Party Chairman and state Sen. John Wiik said he vehemently opposes the measure. He said he sees "no good coming out of it for the Republican Party." The state GOP's central committee unanimously opposed the measure, he said.
"I want Republicans to be able to choose the Republican candidate, and Democrats to choose the Democrat candidate," Wiik said. "If you want to be an independent, then you're independent of the decisions that affect your lives."
Knudson said the measure would bring a much more competitive process and "will make sure that the winning candidate is the one most South Dakotans agree on." She questioned the balance of power in the Legislature, where Democrats hold 11 of 105 seats, and whether that is truly reflective of voters' will.
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State Democratic Party Executive Director Dan Ahlers said the party hasn't taken a stance on the measure. The Democratic Party allows "no party affiliation" and independent voters to vote in its primary, along with registered Democrats.
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