Every Vote Matters: Staying Engaged in the Election Process

Recent close elections offer a timely reminder to stay engaged in the democratic process.

Recently, Sioux Falls voters had the opportunity to participate in not one, but up to three elections between June and August: the statewide primary election, the Sioux Falls municipal runoff election and the first-ever Republican gubernatorial primary runoff election. With three important elections taking place over the span of just eight weeks, voter fatigue can certainly set in.

However, I think we all were reminded of the importance of the phrase “every vote matters” as we saw our Sioux Falls mayoral race come down to just a four-vote difference between the two candidates. The number of people I interacted with following the historically close mayoral runoff election who told me, “I was not going to vote today, but I am glad I did,” seemed never-ending. While close elections can bring stress and uncertainty, seeing a result for such an important office come down to just four votes serves as a good reminder to us all to engage in our election process because every vote matters.

Even with two or three elections behind us, there is still the important general election coming up on Nov. 3. This election will contain the candidates who won their primaries for county commission and state Legislature, along with statewide offices and a handful of ballot questions.

At the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, we again encourage you to research the candidates and ballot questions that will appear on your ballot in November. The choices you make will shape our community and state for years to come.

For more information on the candidates and ballot questions that will appear on your ballot, please visit the South Dakota Secretary of State website to learn more. You can best research your candidates by checking their social media pages and websites, searching news articles about them or contacting them directly to find out where they stand on issues that are important to you.

We hope to see you at your voting locations this November because every vote matters.