The Unbreakable Spirit of the South Dakota Canvassing Group
Grassroots Warriors Who Never Give Up
In the heart of the heartland, a dedicated group of ordinary citizens refused to sit on the sidelines. The South Dakota Canvassing Group, currently led by Jessica Pollema, Cindy Meyer & Linda Montgomery emerged as one of the most determined grassroots organizations in the nation, fighting tirelessly for free, fair, transparent, and secure elections. Their story, our story, is one of hope, grit, grace, disappointment, betrayal by those we helped elect, and ultimately…remarkable perseverance that delivered real results. Not just talk…ACTION…and a lot of it!
To set the stage for MY perspective and the story which follows, I’ll clarify my role…I have been a VERY active volunteer and trusted member with the group since early 2023. I missed the “Monae for SOS” endeavor, but I haven’t missed an opportunity since to help where I can, working on safeguarding our elections and getting better people elected to office.
I knew the 2020 election was stolen and I immediately got involved.
*Stop the Steal Rally - November 14th, 2020 - Freedom Plaza, Washington DC
This is a portion of my personal story (written in 2024) linked below as well as what is probably my single most important contribution to the cause with our petition effort, the rejection, and lawfare story that followed, also linked below…
Early Momentum & the 2022 Election
This is a team of ordinary citizens who refused & refuse to stay silent. At a very basic level, this grassroots team was formed because “we” believe in free, fair, transparent, and secure elections, the foundation of everything our country stands for. NOTHING else matters if our elections are fraudulent. To date, six years after the group was started, hundreds of volunteers have been recruited across the state. We, collectively, have written hundreds of articles on Substack. We published thousands of social media posts. We gathered thousands of petition signatures. We appeared in hundreds of podcasts and interviews. We offered up our financial support. We taught multiple state-wide hand-counting events. We traveled thousands of miles to inform our neighbors and testify before legislators. We WROTE LAW. We supported and recruited South Dakota Freedom Caucus lawmakers to pass real election reforms. And we did it all while being called every name in the book, mocked by some legislators, ridiculed by fellow citizens, targeted by establishment lawyers, and backstabbed by grassroots imposters (you know who they are!).
Formed in the wake of widespread concerns about election processes following 2020, the group was founded and quickly mobilized. Early efforts helped shape the conversation around election integrity. In 2022, the group poured heart, blood, sweat and tears into helping elect Monae Johnson as Secretary of State. She campaigned on promises of greater transparency and stronger safeguards. We believed her. We worked hard to get her elected but soon found out we were betrayed or the whole thing was a con from the beginning. Either way, we learned from that mistake and forged ahead stronger and wiser from it. You can read more about her failures at the link below.
The Disappointment: Broken Promises & Closed Doors
Hopes quickly faded after Johnson took office. The team went back to work We had our noses to the ground uncovering BPro - making national headlines, but once the landowner rebellion happened and the patriots were in control, we went for broke knowing our time to effect change was short. ONLY the South Dakota Freedom Caucus members were brave enough to bring legislation that made a real difference. We made some gains. Most of those gains were courtesy of the patriots who were newly elected and joined the South Dakota Freedom Caucus (both forward and rear facing). While some election-related legislation advanced, our group experienced repeated hostility and exclusion from the very officials we had helped empower. The group found its stride in the 2025 session and 20 election bills were signed into law. Despite the success, these were simply battle wins in the bigger war still being fought.
A breaking point for the team came on bill signing day for SB68, HB1062, HB1066, HB1208, and sixteen other election bills, measures we had fought for through testimony, drafting help, and relentless grassroots pressure. Several of the team drove to Pierre, excited to witness the moment and stand proudly with the work we had done. Instead, Monae Johnson and Governor Larry Rhoden kept the team out in the hallway. They signed the bills behind closed doors. Monae never showed her face. Governor Rhoden walked right past with his entourage and couldn’t even muster a glance. Cindy Meyer refused to leave without a photo. She demanded he come out. He begrudgingly appeared, stood for one quick picture, and left immediately.
Meanwhile, other bills signed around the same time were celebrated publicly with the citizens who had worked on them. THIS TEAM was treated with hostility and disdain. That day made it painfully clear: the promises we had believed in were not being kept. But we never gave up. Not for one second. We kept working. We kept recruiting. We kept writing. We kept testifying. We kept teaching hand-counting. We kept traveling. We kept pushing for real transparency even when it was hard, even when people turned against us. We built one of the strongest election integrity teams in the nation through pure determination and love for our state and our REPUBLIC.
Never Giving Up: The Hard Work Continues
At the 2026 South Dakota Republican Party convention, Lawrence County precinct committeewoman and fellow advocate Paula Mowry stood up and spoke the truth. She implored Senator John Thune to deliver the SAVE America Act to President Trump. She said it plainly: “Senator Thune has failed South Dakota and he has failed America. Period.” She highlighted how we—the South Dakota Canvassing Group—had done the real work while others blocked common-sense measures like voter ID and proof of citizenship. Every word she spoke rang true.
We were proud to stand with her.
A related resolution to censure Thune for blocking the SAVE America Act gained support in committee (backed by Mowry and others) but was ultimately voted down on the convention floor. That was weakness in the party. That was the establishment reminding everyone they are still breathing. That was a catalyst to push harder.
It’s especially ironic that with the SAVE Act failures, Senator John Thune comes from South Dakota, the very state where our South Dakota Canvassing Group has become one of the strongest election integrity teams in the entire nation. While Thune blocks or delays the federal SAVE America Act that would finally require proof of citizenship to vote, we here at home have been doing the hard work he won’t, ala Senate Bill 175 - An Act to require that an individual provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote and to declare an emergency. Signed into LAW March 26, 2026.
The senator who represents South Dakota in Washington DC continues to refuse the very tools, bringing the bill to a final vote, rallying his conference to reform Senate rules if necessary, or forcing Democrats to take a stand, that would give the rest of America the same protections we’re fighting for with right here in his home state.
We are still scratching our heads wondering why he is choosing to fail.
Triumph at the 2026 Convention: Heather Baxter Selected
True to character, the South Dakota Canvassing Group did not retreat or become discouraged. We doubled down.
At the June 2026 Republican State Convention, the delegates chose a new path. Triumph AGAIN for the grassroots…Heather Baxter was selected.
Yes, we did it again. Many of our volunteers are precinct committeemen and women. We proved we are a force. We showed Monae Johnson the door and selected State Representative Heather Baxter with nearly 60% of the vote as the Republican nominee for Secretary of State.
Baxter, a Christian conservative and state representative from Rapid City’s District 34, had announced her candidacy in September 2025 as an “avid advocate of election reform” aligned with President Trump’s platform on election integrity. She has emphasized ensuring every vote is counted accurately, including strong support for paper ballots and hand-counting processes, positions closely aligned with the long-standing priorities of the South Dakota Canvassing Group. Our group supports Baxter’s candidacy, promoting her announcement and offering her every support she may need to be victorious.
The convention outcome represented a clear grassroots victory: the very citizens who had helped elect Johnson in 2022, then held her accountable when promises went unfulfilled, successfully shifted the party toward a nominee more committed to the transparency and reforms we fight for. That our state deserves. That our nation demands.
A Republic if you can keep it…
Heather Baxter is a true election integrity advocate who aligns with the reforms we have fought for to include paper ballots, accurate counting, and real transparency. We had supported her candidacy from the beginning, and seeing the grassroots victory at the convention was one of the most rewarding moments in our journey. We did this together. We never quit. We held leaders accountable. We turned disappointment into determination. “One down, one left to go,” (Goodbye Interim Governor Larry Rhoden, HELLO Governor Toby Doeden) we say after reflecting upon that difficult day in Pierre and the turmoil that has followed through the primaries season. Today we say it again with hope: the work continues, but we have proven that dedicated citizens can make a difference.
***A note on this endorsement: The SDC & advisory board were evenly split between Jon Hansen and Toby Doeden during the primary. With Toby Doeden clearly the front runner after a contentious primary, SDC offers him a FULL ENDORSEMENT as the grassroots candidate and we believe he will deliver on his promises. This endorsement was very carefully considered. The state AND the nation stand at a critical crossroads…
We choose HOPE & CHANGE…
We choose the Grassroots OVER the Establishment Machine!
A Model of Citizen Activism
We love to believe that the story of the South Dakota Canvassing Group is a powerful reminder of what dedicated, persistent citizens can achieve. We didn’t just complain, we organized, educated, testified, litigated, and mobilized. We celebrated legislative wins even when excluded from the photo ops. We absorbed criticism without surrendering our principles. As we have documented on Substack and through our various member’s Facebook and X posts, the work continues. “One down, one left to go,” captures both the satisfaction of accountability delivered and the ongoing commitment to full election integrity.
In an era when many feel powerless against entrenched interests, the South Dakota Canvassing Group stands as proof that grassroots determination, combined with relentless truth-seeking and transparency advocacy, can move the needle, even against significant opposition. Our journey from supporting a candidate in 2022 to helping replace her with a stronger advocate in 2026 is more than a political story. It is a testament to the enduring power of citizens who refuse to give up on securing the integrity of the vote which is the foundation of self-government. The fight for truth and transparency in South Dakota elections (AND our national level elections) is far from over, but thanks to groups like ours, we like to think it is in very capable hands…and here is PROOF coming to light that what we do matters…
Just yesterday…
And this from POTUS today:
WE NEVER GAVE UP.
WE, the “conspiracy theorists,” NEVER WAIVERED.
WE, the “crazy far right,” NEVER BENT THE KNEE.
WE, the “election deniers,” NEVER BACKED DOWN.
WE, the “domestic extremists,” NEVER STOPPED SEEKING TRUTH.
The volunteers of the South Dakota Canvassing Group have shown what real patriotism looks like: showing up, speaking truth, and never backing down.
Schoenbeck, CISA, CIS, SDACO, NACO and those who agree with or defend them = wrong side of history. We pity them.
Local action has National impact. Volunteer. Speak up. The fight for secure elections belongs to all of us and we are just getting started.
We are the South Dakota Canvassing Group.
We fight for truth.
We never give up.
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excellent!!!!!!!!!!!