Support for a 2024 ballot amendment that would enshrine abortion rights in the South Dakota Constitution is growing, as reflected by a nearly 20-point margin between residents who say they are for the measure and those who oppose it.
According to a poll co-sponsored by South Dakota News Watch, 53 percent of respondents support Constitutional Amendment G, which if passed would reverse a state abortion ban enacted when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
The measure is opposed by 35 percent of those polled, with 11 percent undecided.
The results represent a major shift from a News Watch poll conducted in November 2023, when 46 percent of respondents said they were for the measure and 44 percent were against it. Perhaps most notable is the fact that 46% of Republicans polled in the most recent survey said they support codifying legal abortion in South Dakota,. The results are from a poll of 500 registered voters co-sponsored by South Dakota News Watch and the Chiesman Center at the University of South Dakota.
In other news, Tuesday marks an important voting date in Iowa and South Dakota, as people can cast votes in the primary elections that narrow the field of candidates for the November election.
Polls open in both states at 7 a.m. and Iowans can vote until 8 p.m., while in South Dakota, the polls close at 7 p.m. Early absentee voting has been underway in both states for a few weeks.
Primary elections are much lower profile than the general election, but there are several elective positions with multiple candidates at the county, state legislature and federal levels.
*Additionally, Orange City in Northwest Iowa is home of a longtime annual Dutch heritage Tulip Festival, and well known for businesses that have a traditional Dutch look.
Some of those businesses receive special funding for decorating their storefronts with windmills or other Dutch looks. On Monday evening, the Orange City Council will consider the recommendation of a committee to direct money to three businesses that plan to create Dutch fronts.
The city’s Dutch Front Committee is recommending amounts from $10,000 to $67,000 for store plans submitted by The Floral Market, NAPA, and Kwik Star.
*People are cautioned to notice that more deer are now moving, as wet weather has changed how deer are reacting during the 2024 fawning season.
Fawning season traditionally begins during the last week of May, peaks in early June, before tapering off. That means deer are on the move, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources said in a release.
Does are venturing out from normal areas looking for a secluded spot to deliver this year’s crop of fawns, IDNR Official Jim Coffey said.
With the recent flooding and saturated soils, many areas near river bottoms are not available for fawning, pushing deer to higher elevations. Fawning season also coincides with an increase in deer vehicle collisions, Cofffey said, so drivers need to be watching out.
Iowa DNR will not be commingling deer with other deer, to avoid the potential of spreading disease to new areas. This emphasizes the point of leaving seemingly abandoned fawns be, Coffey said, since the mother is likely nearby.
