To the editor:
South Dakota voters treasure the right to political participation, but that right shouldnt come with mandatory exposure of their personal addresses and sensitive date to the entire world. House Bill 1062, which narrowly passed the legislature this winter, attempts to require publication of the entire voter registration file, including names, home addresses, absentee ballot requests, recent voting history, and, more to everyone on the internet, whether in South Dakota or Serbia.
Under this bill, anyone, be it a political actor, data miner, commercial marketer, or worse, could access and download bulk voter data weekly.
Under HB 1062, spammers and scammers will have a feast on South Dakotans personal data. With street addresses tied directly to individual names and past behavior, it becomes all-to-easy for harassers to figure out patterns or for telemarketers to blast tiresome calls and emails.
Privacy isnt political, its personal. Opposition to this bill isnt about hiding anyones vote, its about safeguarding basic privacy. Even though surface-level data (e.g. dates of birth, SSNs) remain redacted, addresses plus voting habits are more revealing than you might think. They invite targeted political advertisements, tailored with eerie precision, identity thieves, mapping out personal information for phishing and stalkers and harassers who track domestic violence victims and other vulnerable populations.
Transparency in elections matters. We should let journalists, watchdogs, and policymakers confirm who is registered, turnout trends, and demographic patterns. But this can and should be balanced with privacy.
We need common sense. HB 1062 is not just bureaucratic housekeeping; it attempts to mass-publicize intimate personal information of every South Dakota voter. Next year, we need to repeal this bill and start respecting our citizens privacy again. Transparency and democracy should go hand in hand – but not at the expense of our homes, our safety, and our trust.
Rep. Kevin Van Diepen
District 22
Huron
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