Legislative Voting Record Transparency Bill Killed in Committee

In his July 17, 1980, acceptance speech, Ronald Reagan is quoted as saying:

I was eleven years old when Ronald Reagan accepted the Republican nomination for president. His presidency left an indelible mark on a generation of kids, inspiring a renewed sense of responsibility, accountability, and love of country. This came on the heels of a difficult period under the Carter administration—marked by gas lines, high interest rates, aggressive lending practices in the 1970s that contributed to small farm bankruptcies, the collapse of savings and loan institutions in the 1980s, and the failed attempts to rescue American hostages held in Iran for 444 days—events that played out nightly on the news. It was a time when many Americans felt hope and trust in government had been lost.

I learned early in life the importance of honesty and trustworthiness. My dad maintained a gentleman’s handshake agreement with our landlord for forty years—nothing was written down. He was a man of integrity who honored his word. If he said he would do something, he followed through. He held himself accountable because a man’s word is all he has. In small-town America, failing to keep your word travels fast and can quickly destroy a reputation. That brings me to the point of today’s post.

During this past legislative session, the newly elected District 35 State Senator Greg Blanc introduced SB 108, a bill requiring that all recorded floor and committee votes be posted on the Legislative Research Council (LRC) website. The goal was to make legislators’ voting records easily accessible to the public and to improve transparency. Transparency is essential if elected officials want to earn voters’ trust. As Reagan said, trust belongs “in the people.”

Blanc’s bill would have simplified how voters track their legislators’ votes on specific bills. In his testimony, he cited a November 2025 Gallup poll showing that only 32% of U.S. adults have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the legislative branch, compared to 41% for the executive branch and 49% for the judicial branch (1). He argued that taxpayers are asking for transparency, accountability, and integrity from their legislators.

However, after a brief debate, the bill died in the Senate State Affairs Committee. Some members argued that this issue should be addressed through the House and Senate rulemaking process rather than through legislation involving the executive branch. Others expressed concern about placing the nonpartisan LRC in a potentially partisan role by requiring it to maintain a database of legislators’ voting records, rather than focusing on tracking legislation. There was also concern that such a system could create easily accessible “scorecards” and highlight voting patterns (2). You can see below who deferred the bill to the 41st legislative day, essentially killing the bill (3):

While Senator Karr of District 11 (Minnehaha) made points in favor of addressing the issue through rulemaking, the result is that greater accountability has been delayed, further kicking the can down the road. It remains to be seen whether legislators will adopt rules in the next session to make voting records more accessible on the LRC website. I remain skeptical.

Integrity, transparency, and accountability are pillars of my campaign. If elected, I will not shy away from my voting record and see to it that the legislators follow through on this proposed "new rule." Voters have a right to know how I vote, and that information should be easy to access. SB 108 moved in that direction, but it ultimately failed. This raises a broader question about whether elected officials are willing to fully embrace transparency. As Reagan emphasized in 1980, trust belongs "in the people," and those in office have a responsibility to honor that trust. The question is whether our legislature has the will to follow through. Stay tuned.

Sources:

(1)   Gallup November 2025 Poll, https://news.gallup.com/poll/697421/trust-government-depends-upon-party-control.aspx

(2)   Senate State Affairs Committee Legislative Committee Hearing on SB 108: https://sdpb.sd.gov/sdpbpodcast/2026/sst13.mp3#t=4930

(3)    SB 108 Vote to Defer to the 41st Day: https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Vote/83128