For Immediate Release
December 19, 2022
SDDP Announces 2023 Officer Elections
The South Dakota Democratic Party will hold elections during its first quarter State Central Committee meeting at Arrowwood Resort Cedar Shore in Oacoma on February 25, 2023. The meeting will begin at noon central time.
Elections will be held for SDDP state chair, vice chair, treasurer, and secretary; regional representatives to the SDDP Executive Board; and officers of the Oceti Sakowin Caucus.
As required by the SDDP Constitution, the votes for the state party officers will be weighted. Each county will cast the number of votes equal to the county’s proportionate vote for the Democratic candidate for governor in the last gubernatorial election. The chair, vice chair, and two committeepersons from each county party equally split the votes entitled to the county.
Party officers (state chair, vice chair, treasurer, and secretary) are elected to four year terms that begin on May 1, 2023.
Individuals seeking any elected position at the February meeting should fill out the following form: https://forms.gle/JjvBDHbQdd9k5SXA9.
Additional Information:
State Chair
The state chair shall preside at all meetings of the state central committee and state executive board, serve as a member of the Democratic National Committee, and with any limitations stated in this constitution, act for the affairs of the party as its chief administrative officer. However, the chair shall consult with the state executive board on all major policy matters and abide by the vote of the majority of such board. The state chair may recommend creation of committees and appointments to committees and to the executive board subject to approval by the state central committee.
State Vice Chair
The state vice chair shall preside over the state central committee and state executive board meetings in the absence of the chair, serve as a member of the Democratic National Committee, act for the chair when the chair is absent from the state or otherwise disqualified, act conjointly with the chair under the direction of the state central committee in the direction and control of all campaigns and in promotion of party policies and financial affairs, and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by state law or assigned by the chair.
State Secretary
The state secretary shall maintain and keep record of the meetings of the state central committee and the state executive board, file them as permanent records in the party state headquarters.
State Treasurer
The state treasurer shall receive and disburse all funds of the party and shall make all necessary reports covering the financial conditions of the party, as required by state and federal law. A bi-annual audit shall be made and prepared for the state central committee and the state executive board.
Regional Representatives
State central committee members from within each region shall elect two regional representatives who should be of differing genders if possible and who shall serve as members of the state executive board. The regional representatives may also meet upon call of the state chair to serve as an elections advisory committee.
The representatives may call regional meetings during the year for purposes of planning and sharing information regarding election strategies. Regional meetings shall include the regional representatives, district chairs and vice chairs, county chairs and vice chairs and state legislators from within the region.
The regional representatives shall work with the county and district chairs within the region to recruit persons to fill party positions at the county and district levels.
In consultation with the county and district chairs the regional representatives may call a pre-convention caucus of the region in even-number years for the purpose of proposing platform planks and nominating persons to the various platform committees. No action of a caucus will be final unless approved by the convention as a whole.
The South Dakota Democratic Party regions are divided as follows:
Region 1: Legislative Districts 1, 3, 20, 22, 23
Region 2: Legislative Districts 4, 5, 7, 8, 25
Region 3: Legislative Districts 9, 10, 11, 14, 15
Region 4: Legislative Districts 2, 6, 12, 13, 16
Region 5: Legislative Districts 17, 18, 19, 21, 26
Region 6: Legislative Districts 24, 27, 28, 29, 30
Region 7: Legislative Districts 31, 32, 33, 34, 35
The Oceti Sakowin Caucus
The Oceti Sakowin Caucus consists of over twenty members representing all tribes of South Dakota. Membership is open to any individual who is a citizen or a descendant of an American Indian, Alaska Native or Hawaiian tribe, nation or community, or those who support all purposes of the caucus. The main objective of the caucus is to encourage new voter participation in our tribal communities. The caucus works to recruit, support, and ultimately elect Native American Democrats running for public office. The Chair of the Oceti Sakowin Caucus sits on the SDDP Executive Board.
Upcoming County Party and Legislative District Elections
All county parties and legislative district chairs and vice chairs must hold elections between April 1 and May 31 of 2023. County parties will elect a county chair and vice chair (who should be of differing genders if possible), a secretary-treasurer or a secretary and a treasurer; two state central committeepersons, who should be of differing genders if possible, all of whom who shall hold their offices for two years or until a successor is elected.
Legislative district chairs and vice chairs, who should be of differing genders if possible, shall be elected at a district caucus including the Democratic legislative candidates from the district in the last general election, precinct committeepersons, and county party officers living within the district.
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