State Gets New Legislative Districts Today

South Dakota lawmakers will be in Pierre on Monday for a one day special session that will approve new election districts. The action follows the changes mandated by the 2010 census.  Senate Majority Leader, Russ Olson of Wentworth, a co-chair of the Redistricting Committee says they took their time to come up with the new maps…

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Olson says they held hearings around the state, and then worked on the maps piece by piece to come up with their recommendation…

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Representative Frank Kloucek (klow-check) of Scotland has urged the legislature to look at an alternative that would not split Bon Homme County. Olson says they will take time Monday to listen to those with concerns… 

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The new election districts become effective on January first.

IF the Rausch-Olsen plan is adopted this is how area counties would be split into districts…

  • Beadle and Kingsbury
  • Jerauld joins Aurora and Davison
  • Hand and Southwestern Spink join with Campbell, Walworth, Potter, McPherson, Edmunds, and Faulk
  • The remaineder of Spink and all of Clark go with Hamilin and portions of Brown and Day
  • Sanborn and Miner are with counties along Highway 34 to the Minnesota boarder, Lake and Moody
  • Hyde goes with Sully, Hughes and Stanley Countes
  • Buffalo and Brule join Lymen, Jones, Mellette and Todd

This is a map of the Rausch-Olsen plan: LRE-StatewideOptionA