Freedom Index

A Legislative Scorecard Based on the Principles of the U.S. Constitution

Legislative Scorecard Based on the U.S. Constitution

The Legislative Scorecard is a nationwide educational program of The John Birch Society. Its purpose is to create an informed electorate on how state legislators are voting. The Scorecard is nonpartisan; it does not promote any candidate or political party. Bills are selected for their constitutional implications and cost to the taxpayers.

Please share this Scorecard in your district to inform people about your legislator's record on key votes.
U.S. Constitution, Amendment I --- 11 C.F.R. §114(4)(c)(4) --- 616 F.2d 45 (2d Cir. 1980)

Legislative Scorecard

Based on the U.S. Constitution

SD Scorecard 2021-2022

The Legislative Scorecard is a nationwide educational program of The John Birch Society. Its purpose is to create an informed electorate on how state legislators are voting. The Scorecard is nonpartisan; it does not promote any candidate or political party. Bills are selected for their constitutional implications and cost to the taxpayers.

Please share this Scorecard in your district to inform people about your legislator's record on key votes.
U.S. Constitution, Amendment I --- 11 C.F.R. §114(4)(c)(4) --- 616 F.2d 45 (2d Cir. 1980)

The following scorecard lists several key votes in the South Dakota Legislature in 2021 and 2022 and ranks state representatives and senators based on their fidelity to (U.S.) constitutional and limited-government principles.

This is our first state-level Scorecard; the selected votes may not be reflective of legislators’ overall records. Their cumulative scores will change as we add more votes. Please check regularly for updates.

Senate

1. Budget

Good Vote: No

HB1340 Budget (passed 31 to 1 on 3/10/2022). Provides approximately $5.9 billion in funding for the operations of the state's government for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2022, and ending June 30, 2023.

2. Informed Consent by Pregnant Minors

Good Vote: No

HB1223 Informed Consent by Pregnant Minors (passed 30 to 5 on 3/2/2022). Would authorize the informed consent by a pregnant minor for any medical or dental procedure or service related to the minor’s prenatal care, the delivery process, or postnatal care if the minor’s parent or guardian is either “unavailable or withholds consent."

3. Exemption from COVID-19 Vaccination

Good Vote: Yes

SB211 Exemption from COVID-19 Vaccination (passed 31 to 4 on 2/14/2022). Would provide that employers must allow medical, religious, and natural immunity-based exemptions from COVID-19 vaccination requirements, but not apply to certain health care facilities and the South Dakota National Guard.

4. Article V Convention: Constitutional Amendments

Good Vote: No

HJR5001 Article V Convention: Constitutional Amendments (failed 16 to 19 on 2/9/2022). Would apply to Congress, under the provisions of Article V of the U.S. Constitution, to call for a "convention of states" for the purpose of proposing constitutional amendments.

5. Educational Freedom

Good Vote: Yes

SB177 Educational Freedom (passed 21 to 14 on 2/17/2021). Revises the provisions of parental choice regarding compulsory school attendance by expanding “alternative instruction” (e.g., home education) options.

6. Rescinding the Call for an Article V Convention: Balanced Budget Amendment

Good Vote: Yes

SJR501 Rescinding the Call for an Article V Convention: Balanced Budget Amendment (failed 17 to 18 on 2/9/2021). Would rescind HJR1001, adopted by the Legislature in 2015, which applied to Congress to “call an Article V convention of the states for the sole purpose of proposing a federal balanced budget amendment.”

Legislator Scores
[ + ] Pro-liberty Vote[ - ] Anti-liberty Vote[ . ] Did not Vote
Name Party District Score 123456
Arch Beal R SD-012 NA ......
Jim Bolin R SD-016 33% --+-+-
Shawn Bordeaux D SD-026 NA ......
Bryan J. Breitling R SD-023 50% --++-+
Jessica Castleberry R SD-035 67% --++++
Casey Crabtree R SD-008 33% --++--
R. Blake Curd R SD-012 33% --+-+-
Sydney Davis R SD-017 NA ......
Michael Diedrich R HD-034 50% --++-+
Helene Duhamel R SD-032 33% --++--
Mary Duvall R SD-024 67% --++++
Red Dawn Foster D SD-027 50% ---+++
Julie Frye-Mueller R SD-030 100% ++++++
Brock L. Greenfield R SD-002 83% -+++++
Troy Heinert D SD-026 17% -----+
Jean Hunhoff R SD-018 50% --++-+
Timothy R. Johns R SD-031 50% --++-+
David Johnson R SD-033 67% --++++
Joshua Klumb R SD-020 83% -+++++
Jack Kolbeck R SD-013 50% -++-+-
Ryan Maher R SD-028 17% --+---
Reynold F. Nesiba D SD-015 33% ---+-+
Al Novstrup R SD-003 33% --+-+-
Herman Otten R SD-006 17% --+---
Tom Pischke R HD-025 NA ......
Tim Reed R SD-007 NA ......
Michael Rohl R SD-001 50% --+++-
Arthur Rusch R SD-017 50% ---+++
Lee Schoenbeck R SD-005 40% .-++--
Kyle Schoenfish R SD-019 17% --+---
V. J. Smith R SD-007 60% .-+-++
Jim Stalzer R SD-011 33% --+-+-
Wayne H. Steinhauer R SD-009 33% --+-+-
Maggie Sutton R SD-010 50% -++-+-
Marsha Symens R SD-025 33% --+--+
Erin Tobin R SD-021 33% --+-+-
David Wheeler R SD-022 33% --++--
John Wiik R SD-004 40% .-+-+-
Dean Wink R SD-029 NA ......
Larry P. Zikmund R SD-014 33% --+-+-

Average Constitutional Score by Party

Party Score
Republican 45.8%
Democrat 33.3%