SEARCHLIGHT NEWS
A vote tabulation machine scans ballots during the 2026 Sioux Falls mayoral recount on July 8 in downtown Sioux Falls. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
By Joshua Haiar
South Dakota voters are selecting a new person to oversee elections in the state, with a choice between a candidate who has supported hand-counting and the elimination of vote tabulation machines, or candidates who say they want to support an election system that’s working well.
By Meghan O’Brien
A question on South Dakotans’ ballots in the Nov. 3 election pits two philosophies against each other: One says it’s too easy to clutter up the state’s constitution with policies that don’t belong there, and the other says voters need the power to amend the constitution with a majority vote when lawmakers fail to adopt policies that voters want.
An economic assistance application for the South Dakota Department of Social Services. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
By Meghan O’Brien
In the Nov. 3 election, South Dakota voters are considering four proposed amendments to the state’s constitution, all placed on the ballot by the Legislature. One of the questions, Amendment I, would repeal the expanded Medicaid eligibility requirement in the state constitution if the federal government’s share of funding for the expansion drops below 90%.
Supporters of the measure, including state Rep. Will Mortenson, R-Fort Pierre, say it’s fiscally responsible. Opponents, including Deb Fischer-Clemens, a nurse and Democratic former state lawmaker, worry it could leave thousands of people without health insurance.
By Makenzie Huber
A nonprofit legal organization focused on Native American rights is sending legal volunteers to observe polling places in South Dakota and six other states with sizable Native American populations.
By Jack Dura/North Dakota Monitor
A long-awaited federal grant has come through for the only fair housing organization in the Dakotas, resolving a monthslong funding gap that led the group to furlough half of its staff.
FROM STATES NEWSROOM
A gas station advertises gas and diesel prices in Forest Glen, Md., on Oct. 5, 2026. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom)
By Tim Henderson/Stateline
Inflation grew to a 3.7% annual rate in September, according to an Oct. 14 report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, up from 3.4% in August.
In the last consumer price inflation report before midterm elections, with voters already fed up with higher prices, September’s number was the highest since May, when it was 4.2%.
D.C. NEWS
Trump’s DOJ demands California halt ballots to suspected noncitizens | Jonathan Shorman
Social Security benefits increase will hit 3.6% in 2027 | States Newsroom staff
Trump administration appeals judge’s order blocking White House ban of 3 news outlets | Ashley Murray and Jane Norman
Democrats aiming for control of Congress vow action on healthcare, cost of living, Iran war | States Newsroom
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