SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Following the conclusion of the 2025 legislative session, those involved—including lawmakers, citizens, and lobbyists—have had an opportunity to look back at a session characterized by many newcomers.
An organization based in South Dakota developed its very own rating system.
Since 2015, Family Voice Action has been issuing scorecards. These scorecards include an array of legislation that the group backed, with lawmakers' support for these bills impacting their ratings.
"We adopt positions that advantage all families regardless of their political or religious views, so we do not specifically promote 'Scripture dictates this, thus this is how we should cast our votes.' Instead, we argue that 'this will benefit South Dakota residents and support the well-being of families within our state,'" stated Norman Woods, director of Family Voice Action.
Included among these bills is one that eliminates exceptions for librarians distributing potentially obscene materials, another that prohibits people from using restrooms that do not correspond with their designated sex, and a proposal mandating age checks for accessing explicit content on the internet.
"We shouldn't intentionally seek out mistakes. If we allow a twelve-year-old to access any website anytime and view whatever they desire, that might not be wise," Senator Carl Perry (R) of Aberdeen stated.
Senator Perry achieved a perfect 100% score, however, another legislator from the Republican party, who obtained the least favorable rating among all GOP senators, stated that some proposals did not align with his principles and thus he couldn’t support them.
"This scorecard doesn't truly reflect conservatism; genuine conservatives wouldn't undermine the First Amendment by suggesting they'd imprison librarians over offensive material," Senator David Wheeler (R) of Huron stated.
Woods stated that this scorecard was not intended to criticize any legislator but rather to evaluate how well the organization aligns with its principles.
“We like the Reagan quote of, ‘The person who agrees with you 80% of the time is a friend and an ally, not a 20% traitor,’ so let’s say a legislator agreed or disagreed with us on the Ten Commandments Bill, that’s ok we can move on to the next issue,” Woods explained.
Woods stated that for 2026, he hopes those legislators will support Educational Savings Accounts, arguing that they will provide more opportunities for every student regardless of their financial situation or disabilities.
