2024 South Dakota Republican Party Platform - South Dakota Republican Party

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Updated Jun 26, 2026

Preamble

The fundamental principles of the South Dakota Republican Party are rooted in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of South Dakota. The Party supports the preservation of our Constitutional Republic, its ideals, and its institutions for the good of all Americans.

We believe the strength of our nation derives from an adherence to Judeo-Christian values. We support our nation’s heritage of religious freedom, freedom of speech, and personal responsibility. Republicans recognize we must be proactive in defending freedom at every level.

We believe in equal rights and equal justice for all. We recognize the free enterprise system and the work ethic of our people as the foundation of our economic success and security. The proper role of government is to provide for the people those critical functions that cannot be performed by individuals or private organizations. The most effective and responsible government is government closest to the people. The Republican Party’s members, leaders, and elected officials are responsible to be cognizant of and responsive to this Republican Platform and the fundamental principles of the Constitution of South Dakota and the United States of America.

Republicans who are elected officials should lead through personal moral integrity and are expected to follow this platform responsibly before supporting or opposing legislation affecting their constituents and South Dakota citizens overall.

We believe South Dakota is an exceptional place to live, raise a family, and pursue economic opportunity. To those ends, and for the people of our state, the South Dakota Republican Party commits itself to the following platform.

Platform Principles

INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY

The rights of American citizens proceed from God, not from government. Government authority proceeds only from the consent of the People. Individuals, 1 including the unborn, have the unalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We affirm the sanctity of all human life.

LIMITED GOVERNMENT

Federal, state, and local governments should be transparent and limited to their respective roles as essential to inherently governmental functions, according to the limitations placed upon them by the United States and South Dakota constitutions.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

Individuals and families are responsible for their behavior. Public policy should encourage and empower their efforts to provide for their own health, safety, education, moral fortitude, and personal wealth.

PROPERTY RIGHTS

We support private property rights as guaranteed by the fifth amendment to the United States Constitution.

TRIBAL RELATIONS

We believe the best interests of all South Dakota citizens will result from working cooperatively with tribal governments.

PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH AND THE RULE OF LAW

National security, national sovereignty, public safety, the right to self-defense, the rule of constitutional and statutory law, and civil justice should be preserved without excessive undue burdens to civil liberty.

LOWER TAXES

The State should only collect taxes to fund legitimate government functions. Government taxes, fees, and spending should be limited to essential, inherently governmental functions.

RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS

We support the right of individuals to keep and bear arms, as confirmed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article VI, Section 24 of the South Dakota Constitution.

FAMILY INTEGRITY AND THE AMERICAN MORAL TRADITION

Traditional American families should be encouraged, and moral values supported by policies to nurture strong marriages between one-man (XY chromosomes) and one-woman (XX chromosomes).

QUALITY EDUCATION

Parents have the first and primary responsibility of educating their children. We support access to locally controlled education.

Platform Specifics

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1.0 Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Energy

1.1

Agriculture – We support a strong and viable economy for agriculture.

1.2

Free Markets – We support competitive, open, and transparent markets.

1.3

Environment – We support the responsible use of our natural resources.

1.4

Energy Development – We support private efforts to develop and utilize traditional, new, and renewable energy resources, striving for reliable energy independence.

1.5

Use of Public Lands – We support the responsible, multiple use of public lands.

1.6

Property Rights – We support private property rights and due process.

2.0 Economic Development

We believe economic development that relies on the principles of the free market, where the role of government is minimal and indirect, is most beneficial to our republic. Successful economic development stem from neutral policies and natural economic growth.

3.0 Health and Human Services

3.1

Well-Being of All – We affirm our commitment to the physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being of all South Dakotans.

3.2

Role of Parents – We affirm the rights of parents as the primary nurturers, responsible for the financial support, moral training, education, childcare, health care, and discipline of their children.

3.3

Opposition to Socialized Medicine – We support the private practice of medicine and oppose socialized medicine in the form of a universal health care system. We oppose medical mandates, coercion, and intimidation of individuals.

3.4

VA and IHS – We encourage timely, accessible, and high-quality healthcare for South Dakotans served by the Veterans Administration and the Indian Health Services.

3.5

Healthcare Cooperation – We encourage working relationships with faith-based organizations to address well-being.

3.6

Caring for Others – We affirm our commitment to address the needs of citizens who are physically or mentally unable to care for themselves.

4.0 Education and Cultural Affairs

4.1

Quality Education – We support our state’s commitment to quality education consistent with Republican values. We support public, private, and home school educational opportunities and we encourage policies that would allow families to direct the use of their education tax dollars.

4.2

Local Control – We support returning control of the school curriculum to the parents and communities that fund it. We support the elimination of all federally mandated requirements.

4.3

Parental Rights and Responsibilities – We support the rights of parents in the education of their children. We believe parents have the right to personally observe classroom instruction, to access their children’s instructional materials and records at no cost to them, and to have a voice regarding their children’s involvement in assessments. We believe in a wholesome educational setting, free from inappropriate sexual and/or cultural information in our curriculum and classrooms. Furthermore, we believe that participation in school sponsored sex education ought to be entirely a parental opt-in.

4.4

Value of Abstinence – We encourage instruction to students on the social, psychological, economic, and health gains to be realized by abstinence from sexual activity until marriage.

4.5

Educational Accommodations—We affirm the sex at birth, male (XY chromosomes) or female (XX chromosomes), shall determine one’s participation in or use of restrooms, locker rooms, sports teams, or other accommodations.

4.6

Cultural Importance – We recognize the relevance of history and heritage in South Dakota. Our greatness results from diverse individuals assimilating into our American Heritage. “Out of the many we are one.” We support the English language as a unifying factor to this end.

4.7

Historical Foundation – We support the teaching of the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the South Dakota Constitution, the Federalist Papers, and the historical role of faith and the Bible. We support further emphasis on the principles and values upon which our nation was founded, such as a constitutional republican form of government and the benefits of capitalism.

4.8

Key Texts – We support the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in our schools and oppose deletions, changes, or amendments to the Pledge. We support the display of the South Dakota Motto, “Under God, the People Rule,” in our schools. We support display of the Ten Commandments in schools.

4.9

Free Speech –Free speech in education is critical to the expansion of thought.

4.10

The Scientific Method—We recognize that to “trust the science” is inherently unscientific, and that proper science requires that science be questioned in accordance with the scientific method.

5.0 Government Affairs

5.1

Lower Taxes–We support a lower tax burden, limited and effective spending at all government levels, as well as limiting growth of government.

5.2

State’s Rights–We support the 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution and its limitations upon the federal government.

5.3

Balanced Budgets–We support balanced government budgets.

5.4

American Flag–We respect the American flag and encourage flag etiquette.

5.5

Entitlement Reform – We support reform at the federal level to put federal programs on a sound fiscal basis.

5.6

Election Integrity–We support all efforts to guarantee the integrity of our elections. We believe South Dakota voters should be informed of the source of political ads. We support a voting system that requires the vote to be verifiable by paper balloting. We support using physical presentation of state-and tribal-issued photo IDs. We oppose internet voting and same day voter registration.

5.7

Judges– We support the appointment of state and federal judges with an originalist interpretation of the Constitution.

5.8

Freedom of Information–We believe the free flow of information empowers and energizes a republic and serves to keep government accountable. We support the federal Freedom of Information Act.

5.9

Legal Immigration–We support the rights of immigrants to enter our country legally and support the rights of legal immigrants to work in our state. It is the responsibility of the state and federal governments to enforce immigration laws and to protect our borders.

5.10

Foreign Law –We expect the courts of South Dakota to refrain from relying upon foreign law.

5.11

Candidates and Public Officials– The Republican Party’s members, leaders, and elected officials are responsible to support, to be cognizant of, and responsive to this Republican Platform and the fundamental principles of the constitutions of South Dakota and the United States of America. We encourage the county Central Committees to use these documents to educate the public.

5.12

Electoral College – We support the Electoral College. We support a party system as the best way to engage the voting public.

5.13

Local Elections—We believe the presence of conservative principles is vital to flourishing communities, including non-partisan offices such as school boards and local governments. County party organizations should help to maintain the integrity of the Party by interviewing, evaluating, and encouraging local candidates and school choice based upon the principles set forth in this platform.

5.14

We encourage efforts to prevent fraud.

6.0. Tribal Relations

6.1

Cooperation—We affirm our commitment to work cooperatively with Tribal Governments.

6.2

Commitment– We are committed to improving the State-Tribal Relationship to enhance the lives of our state’s tribal members.

7.0 Public Safety and Security

7.1

Justice – We support the fair and equal administration of justice to protect the public and their property, to assist victims of crime, punish as well as rehabilitate offenders, and assist in the transition of offenders into society.

7.2

Law Enforcement – We support law enforcement and their work to provide citizens with a crime-free environment. We applaud and appreciate those involved with public safety in South Dakota.

7.3

Right to Keep and Bear Arms—The Right of Citizens to lawfully keep and bear arms shall not be denied nor infringed.

7.4

Homeland Security – We support a strong and reasonable approach to homeland security that protects our safety, our borders, and our liberties.

7.5

Armed Forces– We support with all our hearts those men and women and their families in all branches of the armed forces, past and present, who have sacrificed their time and lives for our country.

7.6

Data Protection – We support the protection of personally identifiable information. We oppose the unethical collection of personal information. Such information should not be obtained without legal consent.

8.0 Family and Community Values

8.1

Families – We recognize the family as the central core of society. We recognize the rights of both the mother and father as the foundation and proper authority for South Dakota families. We support protecting the traditional family as being paramount to the success and survival of this nation which includes the protection of children. This being the best and most stable place for children we support policies that encourage family stability and discourage dissolving the marriage.

8.2

Free Exercise of Religion – We support the free exercise of religion as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

8.3

Exploitation and Abuse – We oppose exploitation, trafficking or abuse of adults, children and the unborn.

8.4

Marriage – We believe marriage is the union of one man (XY chromosomes) and one woman (XX chromosomes). We affirm it is in the best interest of children to be raised by both mother and father.

8.5

Sanctity of Life – We believe that life begins at conception. We affirm the sanctity of all human life, including the unborn, those with congenital abnormalities, the elderly, the chronically ill, the terminally ill, and differently abled. We oppose abortion and assisted suicide in all forms.

8.6

Ethics in Medical Research – We support ethical practices in medical research and oppose any medical research that exploits human embryos or living human beings, including embryonic stem cells.

8.7

Adoption—We support the streamlining and simplifying of adoptions and support for expecting mothers to choose life.