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• A more thorough search should be made, including Gant's secretary of state website, for instance, soliciting "pro" and "con" statements -- or, at the very least, using that to solicit likely parties.
• More effort should be made during the legislative season to alert lawmakers that, if particular laws make it to vote on the ballot, that their opinions could be necessary and welcome.
• Reaching out to party heads to find their own statements is also a simple but likely effective way to ID those statements.
• Unfortunately, thousands in the state have already voted without the benefit of those con statements explained on their ballots.
• Judge Barnett was wise to note, "The failure to get complete information out to the first 16,000 (voters) does not somehow negate the obligation to get this legislative-directed information, the other side of the coin, out to the rest of the voters."
• He ruled that the pamphlets must be reprinted, so at least voters at this stage of the process, at least, are able to get a clear understanding of the pluses and minuses of an initiative.
• Gant is tasked with making sure every candidate and ballot measure is on the ballot legally and fairly. By excluding these statements, voters are getting only part of the information necessary to make wise decisions when they are in the booth.
• ___
• The Daily Republic, Mitchell. Oct. 24, 2012
• Vote no on IM 15
• Proponents say it quite plainly: Can't you spare a penny to help fund education and Medicaid?
• Initiated Measure 15, upon which South Dakotans will vote Nov. 6, is a measure to increase the state sales tax by another percent to create additional funding for K-12 education and Medicaid.
• The measure comes in response to recent budget cuts by Gov. Dennis Daugaard and the Legislature.
• At present, South Dakotans pay 4 cents on the dollar for state sales tax. If approved, Initiated Measure 15 would raise the sales tax to 5 percent. That extra percent would raise millions of dollars each year, to be split between education and Medicaid.
• The Medicaid funds could only be spent on payments to Medicaid providers and related state expenses. The education funds would be provided to districts based on enrollment, to be spent on improving education as school boards determine.
• We will vote no on Initiated Measure 15 and urge readers to do the same.

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