PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) -- A top official for the South Dakota Democratic Party is challenging what the public has been told by leaders of a group trying this fall to change the state's method of choosing candidates in primary elections. Restaurants to open in Steel District development Democratic primary elections are open to independent and no-party-affiliation voters in South Dakota, contrary to statements suggesting that the Democratic primaries are open to only voters registered as Democrats, according to Dan Ahlers. He is executive director for the South Dakota Democratic Party. Ahlers disputes statements made by Joe Kirby and other leaders in the South Dakota Open Primaries movement that put Amendment H on the November 5 general-election ballot. The group wants the South Dakota Constitution changed, so that all candidates for an office would run in the June primary election, with the top two finishers advancing to the November general election, regardless of their party affiliations. Both the South Dakota Republican Party and the South Dakota Democratic Party organizations have come out publicly against Amendment H. While the Democrats allows independent and NPA voters to participate in their primaries, Republicans allow only those South Dakota voters who have registered as Republicans. Ahlers penned a formal letter opposing Amendment H on behalf of the South Dakota Democratic Party in August. South Dakota Republican Party chair John Wiik meanwhile provided the statement opposing Amendment H that appears in the 2024 ballot-measures pamphlet on the South Dakota Secretary of State website. Be informed on the seven 2024 ballot measures Amendment E Amendment F Amendment G Amendment H IM 28 IM 29 Referred Law 21 Joe Kirby of Sioux Falls, along with De Knudson of Sioux Falls and Drey Samuelson, who was chief of staff to former U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson, a Democrat, provided the pro-Amendment H statement for the official pamphlet. Their statement says at one point, "Currently, 150,000 independent or unaffiliated voters in South Dakota are excluded from taxpayer-funded primary elections." Their statement also says, "It (Amendment H) would fix an unfair system that silences the voices of 150,000 South Dakota independent voters." A pro-Amendment H broadcast ad and a postcard make similar statements. Ahlers is challenging them, at least regarding how the Democrats conduct their primary elections in South Dakota. "Independents and NPA are allowed to vote in a Democratic primary, so the ads are not accurate," Ahlers said. He added, "It is also important to remember that primaries are a creation of political parties for the purpose of selecting their candidate for the general election. Currently, independents and NPA can bypass the primary process altogether." Kirby is defending the statements. "South Dakota's closed primary system worked well when we had two strong parties in the state and a small number of independent voters, but much has changed," Kirby said. "Now the Republican Party dominates, making the closed primary system dysfunctional. Since South Dakota became a one party state, the only election that usually matters in the state is the closed Republican primary," Kirby continued. "And because half the state's voters don't get to vote in that election, they often have no say in who will represent them or lead the state. "With no statewide office holders and only about 10% of the legislative positions, the Democratic party has diminished in relevance," Kirby argued. "There are numerous legislative races in the state where the Democrats have failed to field a candidate. I understand that 21 of 35 state senate seats are already filled before the November election. That is not a good way to decide who represents South Dakota voters.  "After the party started to decline, the Democrats offered independents the opportunity to vote in their primary. That opportunity is largely valueless. It has little if any impact on who gets elected," Kirby continued. "So we think it is fair to say that 155,000 legal SD independent voters are currently excluded from a meaningful role in hiring the people who govern the state." Republicans currently hold all three of South Dakota's seats in Congress, all statewide elected offices, and 94 of the Legislature's 105 seats. That's a big switch from 20 years ago, when Democrats held the three congressional seats and were more competitive for statewide and legislative races. The trend has swung even more Republican in the past three primary elections. Democrats had a presidential primary and one legislative primary in 2024; two legislative primaries in 2022; and a presidential primary and two legislative primaries in 2020. Republicans meanwhile had 44 legislative primaries in 2024; primaries for US Senate, US House and governor as well as 39 legislative primaries in 2022; and primaries for US Senate and US House as well as 27 legislative primaries in 2020.