2024 Voter Guide – SD LEGISLATURE
You’ll find information on:
Sanctity of Life
Do the candidates support protections for unborn life?
Education Options
Do the candidates support all forms of education, including private schools and home school?
Marijuana Regulations
Are the candidates committed to keeping marijuana from running rampant in our communities?
Age Verification
Do the candidates support safeguards to keep young children from accessing explicit content online?
DISTRICT 09
Green: Strong voting record or survey response
Grey: Mixed voting record or inconclusive survey response
Red: Weak voting record or survey response
“S” inside the circle: Survey results from a new candidate (no voting record)
Blank: No voting record or survey answer
For full details on scoring, click here.
| 1) LIFE – Do the candidates support the sanctity of life? | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | |||
| Joy Hohn | R | Candidate indicated support for bills protecting life and commented: I would have supported both of these bills. Life is a sacred gift from God that needs to be cared for in body and soul. | |
| Mark K Willadsen | R | Candidate has a strong pro-life voting record (SDRTL, 2021-22) | |
| House | ||
| Bethany Soye | R | Candidate has a strong pro-life voting record (Life bills, 2023-24) |
| Kristi Golden | R | Candidate did not respond |
| Daryl Christensen | R | Candidate did not respond |
| Tesa Schwans | R | Candidate indicated support for bills protecting life and commented: These bills speak for themselves! I believe in the sanctity of life from conception to natural death. “Life, what a beautiful choice” has always been (word limit) |
| Beverly Froslie Johnson | D | Candidate did not respond |
| 2) EDUCATION OPTIONS – Do the candidates support expanded options for education? (Ex: Private school opportunities, homeschooling, etc.) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | |||
| Joy Hohn | R | Candidate indicated support for bills that provide greater educational options and commented: Parents should have the choice on how and where to educate their child. A quality education has the potential for developing a stronger workforce. | |
| Mark K Willadsen | R | Candidate has a 25% record of support for education options (1/4) | |
| House | ||
| Bethany Soye | R | Candidate has a 100% record of support for education options (5/5) |
| Kristi Golden | R | Candidate did not respond |
| Daryl Christensen | R | Candidate did not respond |
| Tesa Schwans | R | Candidate indicated support for bills that provide greater educational options and commented: Education is a place where kids need to safely learn without the government becoming the parent. Maybe we need to ask why parents are taking (word limit) |
| Beverly Froslie Johnson | D | Candidate did not respond |
| 3) MARIJUANA REGULATIONS – Do the candidates support reasonable regulations on marijuana? | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | |||
| Joy Hohn | R | Candidate indicated support for bills that provide reasonable marijuana regulations and commented: Medical marijuana needs to be kept in the hands of our medical professionals. Safety on our streets and at work is paramount. | |
| Mark K Willadsen | R | Candidate has a mixed voting record on marijuana expansion (Industry scorecard, 2022) | |
| House | ||
| Bethany Soye | R | Candidate has a B+ rating for marijuana regulations (PSDK, 2024) |
| Kristi Golden | R | Candidate did not respond |
| Daryl Christensen | R | Candidate did not respond |
| Tesa Schwans | R | Candidate indicated support for bills that provide reasonable marijuana regulations and commented:This is definitely a way to keep the card in the hands of the professionals. |
| Beverly Froslie Johnson | D | Candidate did not respond |
| 4) AGE VERIFICATION – Do the candidates support legislation to require age-verification for explicit websites? | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | |||
| Joy Hohn | R | Candidate indicated support for bills that require age verification for explicit websites and commented: We need to keep our children safe and off harmful websites. Other states have had success and South Dakota needs to get on board. | |
| Mark K Willadsen | R | Candidate did not respond | |
| House | ||
| Bethany Soye | R | Candidate has a voting record of support for age-verification legislation (HB1257, 2024) |
| Kristi Golden | R | Candidate did not respond |
| Daryl Christensen | R | Candidate did not respond |
| Tesa Schwans | R | Candidate indicated support for bills that require age verification for explicit websites and commented: Absolutely support this! I can’t believe its taken this long to recognize this has been an issue. |
| Beverly Froslie Johnson | D | Candidate did not respond |
