Press Release

I-29ers Ask Candidates to Support the Right to Vote

The “I-29ers for Quality of Life” are asking candidates for the state legislature to pledge to support the right to vote on permits for large feedlots. This week, the group mailed out letters to all candidates across the state with an enclosed pledge card to be returned by October 12.

The group will then be holding a press conference and publishing the names of those who pledged to support the Right to Vote and those who did not.

The accompanying letter asks candidates: “Do you support the Right to Vote on whether a large feedlot locates in an area? Or do you believe zoning boards (Boards of Adjustment) should be the final authority and not answerable to the will of the people?”

It continues: “To most voters in South Dakota, there is no decision more important than whether a large feedlot is allowed to move in next door. No matter how you feel about large factory farms, don’t you think citizens should have the right to vote on it?”

The accompanying pledge card reads: “I Support the Right to Vote. I pledge to support the right of citizens to vote if sufficient signatures are collected to bring a large feedlot permit to a referendum.”

The I-29ers group recently hosted a workshop in Brookings on “The Negative Effects of Industrial Animal Operations” that was attended by over 400 people. They are currently in the process of putting a county wide moratorium on the ballot which would prevent the granting of large feedlot permits for a period of two years in Brookings County.

Former U.S. Senator Jim Abourezk who keynoted the workshop, filed the paperwork last week to appeal a Moody County case. He noted, “The state Supreme Court has called the right to referendum ‘a sacred right.’”

State law says that a decision of a government entity may be brought to a vote if 5% of the registered voters sign a petition within 20 days after a decision is published. Dairy proponents have argued that a zoning permit is “administrative” and not subject to a vote. Their attorneys argue that counties which passed zoning ordinances in the last two years effectively took away citizens’ right to bring a zoning board decision to a vote. No matter how the Supreme Court rules, counties which did not pass zoning ordinances will retain the right to vote.

Bill Du Bois of Brookings, a member of the I-29ers says, “Ironically, many counties thought passing zoning laws would protect them from unwanted large feedlots.”

I-29er spokesperson Tim Trooien says, “The South Dakota State Legislature can fix this problem."

Legislation will be introduced this session to make sure residents have the right to vote. We ask candidates to pledge to support democracy. This fair to everyone. It preserves the right of citizens to vote and the rights of feedlot owners to know the score before breaking ground. Feedlot owners should know citizens may appeal within 20 days. After that time, they know they can proceed building without risk of legal interference.