To the Editor:

Even in divided times, there are core ideals that every American can agree on.

The need to clean up politics by holding lobbyists and politicians accountable is urgent. We can start right in our own backyard this election day by voting yes on IM-22, the South Dakota Government Accountability and Anti-Corruption Act.

When you think of big money warping our political system, you might picture crooked politicians in Congress in Washington D.C. but South Dakota has more than its fair share of problems; it's on all of us to hold our state lawmakers in Pierre accountable.

Embarrassingly, South Dakota is the only state in the country that allows lobbyists to give secret, unlimited gifts to politicians. Is a lobbyist angling for a fat state funded contract buttering up to elected officials with a Rolex? Champagne? Extravagant vacation? These scenarios are legal under current state law - there's no legal requirement that any gifts be disclosed to the public.

South Dakota is one of just seven states without an ethics commission to hold politicians accountable. Lobbyists outnumber state lawmakers in Pierre, two to one. And according to the National Institute of Money in State Politics, more than two-thirds of the money contributed to South Dakota campaigns during our most recent statewide election came from out-of-state donors.

A recent Indiana University study found that corruption costs every South Dakota voter $1,308 every year. We can and must do better.

That's where IM-22 comes in. IM-22 was placed on the November ballot with the signatures of more than 20,000 South Dakota voters. It's a commonsense reform package that originated with the people, not lobbyists or politicians.

IM-22 stops secret, unlimited gifts from lobbyists to politicians, because no state should condone such flagrant conflicts of interest. It requires transparency of political money in South Dakota because voters have a right to know who is pouring money into our politics and elections. It creates a system that gives ordinary people a real voice in state politics.

This election day let's fix the broken system. Vote Yes on IM-22, South Dakota's Anti-Corruption Act.

Darrell Solberg

Sioux Falls