(From Mike Moen, Greater Dakota News Service)
In South Dakota and its neighbors to the west, grassroots groups are recruiting rural residents and other underrepresented people to seek elected office, including the local level.
Organizers say they think there’s renewed energy to bring fresh voices to politics. The Western Organization of Resource Councils, which has member groups in the Dakotas, is hosting training sessions this summer for people curious about running for seats on their local city council or school board, or even a statewide office.
Gwen Lachelt, political director with The Western Organization of Resource Councils, said the working-class in these states could bring a deep understanding of community needs to government decision making. Winning an election is the hard part.
“We have a lot of seats where people have served in these elected positions for many years, some decades. And it’s really hard to break in,” she explained.
Lachelt said that for LGTBQ+ people, Native Americans and immigrant populations, it’s even harder, and added that prospective candidates who are on the fence have to wrestle with questions about whether they have enough time and resources to run. The free online training offers guidance on pursuing a political campaign, and how to effectively govern, if successful. The next session is on the evening of July 28th.
Lachelt pointed to data from AmeriCorps showing a rise in volunteer rates in the U.S. as an example of people wanting to reshape narratives about democracy and civic engagement. She says despite the longstanding campaign barriers, there are recent outcomes in this region of candidates overcoming obstacles.
“In 2024, we saw 12 seats that were flipped in the state of Montana by your very ordinary Montanan,” she continued.
She was referring to the legislative victories by candidates described as not being part of the political establishment. Redistricting changes and the new political maps that arose from them were cited as factors. In South Dakota, landowner rights have become a focal point in the Legislature, influencing races for statehouse seats and policy decisions.
