Democrats and Republicans in South Dakota are making phone calls and knocking on doors to convince the roughly 125,000 voters registered as Independent or No Party to vote for their party ’s candidates.
Mirroring a national trend, the number of voters who register as Independent or No Party Affiliation has risen sharply in recent years in South Dakota, growing by nearly 70 percent from 2006 to 2018.
Many political observers believe that the diverse and growing group of Independent voters will decide whether Democratic state senator Billie Sutton or Republican congresswoman Kristi Noem becomes governor.
The South Dakota Secretary of States Office does not formally recognize Independents as their own party, so finding and winning over Independents can be a tough task for campaigners.
Some national experts theorize that younger people, including millennials, may lean Independent due to the openness and moderate views of Independent voters and candidates.
They say a more common thread is that Independents either new voters or those who have defected from other political parties feel that the two major parties have become more extreme in their platforms and have lost touch with middle-class Americans and no longer represent their views.
But, no matter who they are, Independents are highly sought-after in South Dakota and others states this election cycle.
(SD News Watch)