There are 194 contested GOP precinct committee races in SD this year. Here's what voters should know

Astute Republican voters who have taken a sneak peek at their June 7 ballots might have noticed a race they know very little about — precinct committeeman or precinct committeewoman.

The Republican Party constitution gives members the opportunity to file a petition to represent their precinct at the state GOP convention, though it's not terribly often that voters have to decide between candidates.

But with 194 contested committeeman/committeewoman elections across the state, 19 of which are in Brown County, this year appears to be an anomaly. Of the 66 counties in South Dakota, 22 have at least one contested races with the most, 56, in Minnehaha County. The next highest is in Pennington County, where there are 26 contested precinct committeeman/committeewoman elections.

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There are no contested races are in Codington County, but there are two in Walworth County and one each in Hamlin and Roberts counties.

In 2018, there were 112 contested races across the state, which had been the highest total before now. Brown County had just one contested race that year.

Committeemen, committeewomen represent local precincts at the state convention

Katie Washnok, chairwoman of the Brown County Republicans, said the precinct committeemen and committeewomen become the precinct spokespeople. Not only do they make up the central committee for their respective counties, but they also go to the state convention and decide the Republican nominees for statewide constitutional offices. Those are not decided on the primary ballot.

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Washnok said some of the interest in the position is because of the attorney general's race. Incumbent Jason Ravnsborg is facing an impeachment trial before the state Senate in June and hasn't commented publicly about his plans to seek re-election.

On Sept. 12, 2020, Ravnsborg struck and killed 55-year-old Joseph Boever, a pedestrian who was walking along U.S. Highway 14 west of Highmore. Ravnsborg eventually pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors, but the incident led to his impeachment earlier this year. That and other issues have divided South Dakota Republicans this year.

More: Now that Jason Ravnsborg has been impeached, what's next?

Former Attorney General Marty Jackley and Division of Criminal Investigation Director David Natvig are both seeking the Republican nomination for attorney general. The party nominee will be decided at the state party convention June 24-25 in Watertown.

Secretary of State Steve Barnett is from Aberdeen and has connections in the area, Washnok said, which might also spark local interest.

Republicans see interest at the local level of politics

Whatever the case, she said, she's encouraged by the number of candidates and the renewed interest.

"It's been great to see," Washnok said. "We're really excited to see new people and new faces wanting to get involved."

Washnok said the hope is this position gets people more involved in the party.

"This is truly the grassroots of grassroots," she said.

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In addition to selecting the GOP's constitutional office candidates, those at the state convention also set the party platform.

While voters don't generally have a candidate forum-type opportunity to visit with those running for precinct committeeman or committeewoman, Washnok said Facebook can be a good tool in looking up the candidates. Others, she said, might be friends or neighbors.

Up to 44 precinct committee positions available in Brown County

Brown County has 22 precincts, which means it can have as many as 22 precinct committeemen and 22 precinct committeewomen. If no one files for the position, it stays vacant.

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According to candidate information on the South Dakota secretary of state's website, three Brown County positions will remain vacant. But that's up from 2020 when Brown County had more than half of the positions vacant. According to state records, Brown County had 10 precinct committeemen and 11 precinct committeewomen and none of the races were contested in 2020.

Is there a similar process for Democrats and precinct committees?

While the precinct committeemen and committeewomen positions are on Republican primary ballots, the process for Democrats is different.

Jennifer Slaight-Hansen of Aberdeen, vice president for the South Dakota Democratic Party, said local Democratic Party chapters can select precinct committeemen and committeewomen, but it's not something that happens in every county.

There are no Democratic committeewomen or committeemen in Brown County right now, but there have been in the past, she said.

"I was a precinct committeewoman for Brown County 20 years ago," Slaight-Hansen said, noting that's how she initially got involved with the party.

As for the delegates who go to the Democratic state convention, Slaight-Hansen said local chapters have a caucus and select the delegates. In Brown County, six delegates are selected.

The South Dakota Democratic Party Convention in June 20.

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: South Dakota has 200 contested races for GOP precinct committees