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Fulltimer Voting in SD Might Be a Thing of the Past


LindaH

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I read these post with interest. I remember when Escapees fought the voting issue in court, Texas's Hightest Court.

I guess I was suprized at the out come. If I remember correctly the local elected officials in Livingston didn't want lots of voters desiding local

elections when those voters didn't have much of a connection to the Livingston area. I did see their point and still do. Livingston, Texas is not a big place

and say 5,000 votes could make a big difference.

Regarding the tax issue mentioned about, what taxes do fulltimers who do not live or own property in Livingston, Texas pay?

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Here is the bottomline for me and this maybe just my opinion. Regardless of where you live, how long you live there, how often you may be there or not, if you are a tax paying, fee paying citizen/ resident in anytown, USA you have a right to vote as guaranteeded by the US Constitution, period.

 

You see there was this little get together a 200 plus years ago in the Boston Harbor, whereas a few folks decided they had enough of being taxed by King George and yet they had no say in the laws of the land or in Parliment. They called it taxation without representation and this is exactly what these certain elected officials want to do in SD and/ or anywhere here in the US.

 

This is not simply about politics but more about money and what influence it has everywhere.

 

Yes, we live in Livingston and try and use all of the local businesses when we come back home which is at least 2 times a year. Some of the same politicians who want to suppress the votes for folks who they deem not to be residents barely if at all come home to their "home" town unless it is to campaign for the next election or raise money for the same.

 

We the People need to make sure our voices are heard, loud and clear, every election or we will be silenced by overzealous politicos who have their own agenda.

http://ramblingrvrat.blogspot.com/?m=1

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According to news from DakotaPost this legislation is dead as it didn't receive any additional support. Greg

 

edit: here's some more confirmation........

SB164 has been dropped as there was not enough support.

Have a great day!

Respectfully yours,

My Dakota Address

Greg & Judy Bahnmiller
Class of 2007
2014 F350
2007 HitchHiker Champagne

Both sold 2/19, settled in Foley, AL after 12 years on the road

http://bahnmilleradventure.blogspot.com/

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Yahoo. We were told yesterday by our mail service, MyDakotaAddress, that all the mail services were sending reps to the hearing. So glad the other Representatives saw this for what it was.

Ron & Linda

Class of 2007
2000 Monaco Diplomat

2005 Honda Element

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are" Theodore Roosevelt

"We can't control the wind, but we can adjust our sail"

"When man gave up his freedom to roam the earth, he gave up his soul for a conditioned ego that is bound by time and the fear of losing its attachments."

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For our part, we made the decision when we first registered as SD residents that we would not vote in local elections. We feel that, since we don't live there, it wouldn't be right. National elections are another story entirely. I would not take kindly to anyone taking away that right, & we would be looking for a new domicile if that bill had actually passed (like most other Escapee SD residents). Have these two bozos considered how much money they'd be losing if we all pulled our vehicle registration & sales tax dollars out of the SD coffers? Considering we pay well over $2000 every year, even my dismal math skills tell me losing that kind of money for wheel tax dollars would be a losing proposition.

 

Renee

Dave, Renee & furkids Casey & Miss Kitty
1998 Volvo 610 Straight 10 "Leather n' Lace"; Herrin bed w/Rampage motorcycle lift; 2010 40' New Horizons Majestic; 2008 Harley FLSTC; 2006 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited; 1999 Yamaha 4X4 Kodiak (that is NOT with us!)

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Renee,

 

While I tend to take the same position as Escapee's RV group does, I do understand the objections from some of the local folks. Escapee's encourage we members to not participate in the local races that don't effect us, but there is really nothing to prevent our influencing the selection of the local offices such as school boards, county commissioners, and a host of other races. Many of us never intend to actually live in the local precinct that we vote in and often we don't ever physically reside in any part of that state, and thus comes the objection to us having a voice in who represents the community or state in the legislative process. From our standpoint as RV residents, we believe in the founding principles of this country which say "no taxation without representation" and that is my view as well, but a thoughtful person should understand at least, where the animosity comes from.

 

We voted in Polk County, TX for 12 years, yet we never spent longer than one month there and in those 12 years there were 7 years that we didn't set foot in Polk Co. even one time. Polk is also a good example of the cause of the problem as the members of Escapees have changed the political climate of that county. On the other hand, Polk County is also the home to the Escapee HQ and as such it has a major impact upon the local economy because so many of us spend time and money there and they even have a lot of Escapees who eventually purchase a home base there and who often settle there when they leave the fulltime lifestyle. As a result, Polk Co. has become very RV friendly and they need the economic impact that Escapees bring but there are still some residents who resent our migration into what was once a very rural TX voting precinct and have changed many things about it. I'm not well informed on the political scene in SD so can't comment on the reasons this has come up and I will continue to stand with the Escapee position, but I think that it is well for all of us to take the time to understand where those folks are coming from and to have just a little empathy for their reasoning.

 

Over time, cool heads have prevailed in Polk County, TX and a good relationship has developed between most local citizens and the club and I believe that all RV residents of SD would be better served by trying to find a way to develop a friendly solution than to take an approach of animosity and aggression. Consider how the local farmer or businessman may feel since he probably doesn't directly benefit significantly from our presence there and probably doesn't realize what we may contribute.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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I think each of us should educate ourselves on exactly how much we individually contribute to the county and state coffers of SD. Not only your annual vehicle registration fee's but also

federal funds that may be distributed on a per capita basis to schools and other agencies.

Of course we also contribute to the local economy thru employment of individuals employed by our mail services.

 

Then you will be able to write an intelligent letter to your state representatives encouraging them to support our voting status

 

Interestingly enough we were told by the library in Madisdon that if we wanted to enroll in a program to use their digital library books there would be an annual non resident fee. We didn't mind but it did make me wonder just where else we would not be considered residents

Ron & Linda

Class of 2007
2000 Monaco Diplomat

2005 Honda Element

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are" Theodore Roosevelt

"We can't control the wind, but we can adjust our sail"

"When man gave up his freedom to roam the earth, he gave up his soul for a conditioned ego that is bound by time and the fear of losing its attachments."

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For our part, we made the decision when we first registered as SD residents that we would not vote in local elections. We feel that, since we don't live there, it wouldn't be right. National elections are another story entirely. I would not take kindly to anyone taking away that right, & we would be looking for a new domicile if that bill had actually passed (like most other Escapee SD residents).

 

Renee

 

DH had a Tallahassee, FL DL for almost 10 yrs and since we were always out-of-state working, he got on the Automatic Absentee ballot list. BUT because we had a UPS Store address for physical location after moving out of the RVPark, they would only send him a ballot for the Primary and General elections. He wouldn't get anything Local - Judges, Tax Collectors, Referendums, they didn't want our input. Even though we had lived physically there for over a year in a Motel and Corp Apt before moving into an RV and leaving the state.

2014 DRV
Mobile Suite Estates 38RSB .... our home
2014 Ford F450 4x4 .... his office
Fulltimers since 3/2005

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  • 7 months later...

Ahh, just the info I was looking for as we are just beginning the process of planning to go full-time. I had done some research and heard this was in the works! Thanks Stanley for posting and for all the input on this topic. I agree with Renee that I would not likely vote on anything local that does not affect us...if we claim this state, but I'm just learning the ropes here! :)

Happy Trails,

Jim & Ginger/Nomad Hikers

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Full-time 04/2017

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