AG urges South Dakotans not to freak out after Election Day

Marty Jackley, fellow attorneys general preach calm ahead of historic votes

No matter how the presidential election and half a dozen ballot measures in South Dakota play out during this week’s election, feelings of disappointment and frustration will undoubtedly follow for many.

And given what took place in the nation’s Capitol following the election of President Joe Biden in January 2021, the state’s top public safety official is urging the public to keep emotions in check regardless of what happens on Election Day.

“This election has been divisive, and our nation’s attorneys general are urging that any election issues be resolved legally and in an orderly manner without violence or property damage,” South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said Monday.

Those remarks aren’t so much about where South Dakota voters land on abortion, recreational marijuana or carbon pipelines, though. Rather, they coincided with the Republican attorney general signing onto a joint statement with 50 other attorneys general encouraging residents and citizens of their states to respect the country’s democratic system by maintaining law and order.

The bipartisan call for political unity comes after the U.S. Capitol was breached on Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress convened to count electoral votes related to the 2020 election that unseated President Donald Trump.

At least one South Dakotan was arrested in connection with protesters disrupting a joint session of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

The attorneys general statement also called on every American to participate in civil discourse by voting but to accept the outcome of the Nov. 5 election.

“Let us come together after this election not divided by outcomes but united in our shared commitment to the rule of law and safety of all Americans. Violence has no place in the democratic process; we will exercise our authority to enforce the law against any illegal acts that threaten it.”

The Dakota Scout is the official newspaper of the city of Sioux Falls, the Sioux Falls School District and the city of Baltic.