One South Dakotan Votes: Madville Times Picks!

Barring any surprises, here's how I'm voting tomorrow in South Dakota's general election:

• U.S. House: Stephanie Herseth Sandlin. She disagrees with me on important bills. I am still looking for a good Wellstone-McGovern Democrat to challenge her in the 2012 primary. But unlike her GOP opponent, she is intelligent and competent, and she hasn't had to lie to make headway in the polls. Brains matter. Truth matters.
  
• S.D. Governor: Scott Heidepriem. Dennis Daugaard is a good guy, but he represents a broken status quo whose problems he can't acknowledge. Heidepriem more clearly speaks to our problems and the need for solutions.
• Attorney General: Ron Volesky. He's just plain my kind of guy. And he won't waste our money suing Uncle Sam over health care reform.
• Secretary of State: Ben Nesselhuf. He'll focus on practical governance and real problems, not boogeymen from New Mexico.
• State Treasurer: Tom Katus. I met Tom just briefly at the Dems convention this summer. He strikes me as a tough, no-nonsense guy, someone we can trust with the purse strings.
• State Auditor: Julie Bartling. Experience matters. She has it; her opponent doesn't.
• Commissioner of School and Public Lands: Bob Pille. I'll vote the party line for the Democrat here...
• Public Utilities Commissioner: Dusty Johnson. ...because I'm cashing in a chip to cross party lines here. I'm still mad about Hyperion. And Dusty fixed my phone.

Whew, let's take a break from faces and talk statewide ballot measures:

• Amendment K, Secret Ballot: No. The conservative wingnuts are trumpeting this sneaky bill because it's a way to kick the unions while they're down. The secret ballot is already protected by the state constitution. This Amendment isn't necessary.
• Amendment L, State Cement Plant Trust Fund: Yes. It sounds like a reasonable measure to keep from burning up the money we made from selling the cement plant. I'm uneasy about the point Senator Adelstein makes about the amendment removing some funding from education, but I'll take that hit and charge our legislators with finding the courage to replace that money with another source of funding.
  
• Referred Law 12, Smoking Ban: Yes. It's not about freedom or income tax, you ninnies. It's about health. I don't get to walk into restaurants barefoot, either, but the Constitution is still intact.
• Initiated Measure 13, Legalizing Medical Marijuana: Yes. If your doctor says pot will do you good, it's not my place to stand in your way from toking up to ease your pain. nor is it Pierre's. Just don't do it in a public place.
  

All right, now let's go local:

• District 8 Senate: Clark Schmidtke, Sr.
  
• District 8 House: Gerry Lange and Mitch Fargen. Mitch will be majority leader someday. Gerry ought to be majority leader. :-)
• Lake County Commission: Scott Pedersen and Craig Johannsen. Cashing in one more bipartisan chip. I'd like to give Doug Erickson a shot, but he didn't show enough fire in the campaign to show he's ready to deal with the complex issues the county will face. Call this campaign a trial run for 2012, Doug! Scott and Craig simply know their stuff and can explain it better to the public (a very important part of the job).
  
• Lake County Sheriff: Jason Lurz. Not an easy choice for me. I'm comfortable saying it's time for change. Lurz and fellow challenger and Madison policeman Dan Wyatt are both good cops, both conservatives... how do I choose? In a tight race, little things matter. The appearance in the "Likes" on Wyatt's Facebook page of a prayer asking God to kill President Obama, whether intended as a joke or not, is enough to make me put down the coin and choose Lurz.
  
• Lake County Auditor: Roberta Janke. I'm tempted to go for Gust. I get the impression she might be just a little more enthusiastic for Web-ifying county records. Gust was first out of the gate with campaign Web presence. But Janke has 23 years of experience with nearly every aspect of the job. She'll need to move her coffee mug maybe 15 feet from her current desk to the new desk. I usually like change, but in our local auditor's office, I can live with continuity for now. (Now Bobbi, let's see lots more records online, fast!)

There's lots to vote on tomorrow, folks. Get out and mark those bubbles!