By Monica Wepking, Editor For the past couple of weeks I have encouraged citizens of Charles Mix County to contact Governor Mike Rounds (phone: 605-773-3212 or mail: 500 East Capitol Ave., Pierre, SD 57501) to stop the October 1, 2009 shutdown of the last two Driver License Offices in Charles Mix County. Wagner and Platte are two of 17 locations scheduled to close. I'm also surprised that the issue of voter fraud hasn't surfaced yet. Non-drivers, which there are plenty in Charles Mix County, use the Driver's License Office to purchase photo IDs to do business and especially to vote. You can vote without a photo ID by signing an affidavit stating "you are who you are", but it is almost impossible for an auditor to verify this statement. Photo IDs help avoid voter fraud. Citizens of Charles Mix County tried to stop the closing of the Lake Andes Driver's License Office, which was located in the County Courthouse, last year. Cindy Gerber, SD Department of Public Safety, is allowing Armour to stay open because they are located in the Courthouse and are connected to the state system. Why was Lake Andes closed? They had the same connections and the county provided a free office with free hookups. GOP candidate for Governor and South Dakota Senate Majority Leader Dave Kundson recently called on the Rounds/Dugaard Administration to drop their proposal to cut off driver license services in 17 rural communities. He states, "Under the current county issuance program, counties and/or cities can contract with the state to provide licensing service to residents in their communities. In return, the community receives a portion of the state license fee." Ask your local officials to pursue this opportunity...however, the state doesn't like this idea either. Here's what Gerber said about adding these partnerships, "Expanding these locations would require additional staff in Pierre in order to process licenses in a timely manner, and to provide adequate training and oversight to additional locations. Consequently, adding additional city/county sites would diminish our efforts to redeploy our personnel to meet licensing demands." Why is the state closing exam stations? Gerber says, "The move is part of a statewide restructuring effort and will allow the South Dakota Driving Licensing Program to optimize existing personnel to meet service demands. It is our duty to exercise fiscal responsibility and this business decision allows the Driver Licensing Program to utilize personnel to meet licensing demands statewide without adding additional personnel. With this plan we anticipate more concentrated volume in fewer locations which allow us to make better use of our limited personnel." How much money is the state saving by closing 17 stations? Gerber says, "The issue is the additional costs the Driver Licensing program would need to incur in order to continue service at all existing sites. If Driver Licensing continues to serve all these locations, they will need to request more staff. There has been ever-increasing demand for Driver License services in our largest cities." Does this sound like rural communities need to suffer to help staff larger cities? The old saying says it best, "When it smells like a rat--it's usually a rat." Gerber also points out that we "normally" only need to renew our driver licenses every five years---but what about families with teenagers? Depending on their age they could have to drop into the Driver's Licensing Office two to three times in one year. Not only would parents have to take vacation time to take them to these larger city offices, but these teens may have to take time out of school to do so. Rural School Board members need to remind the Governor that teens need to stay in school! Rural Chamber members need to remind the Governor that closing services will also push business off their Main Streets and into larger city stores such as WalMart. Two legislative leaders said Friday, September 11, 2009 that the Rounds administration's plan to force rural people from at least 17 rural South Dakota communities to drive further for driver's licenses is wasteful, unfair and wrong-headed. "We ask the state to halt the closures," said Sen. Scott Heidepriem (D-Sioux Falls) and senate minority leader. Rep. Bernie Hunhoff (D-Yankton), the house minority leader, said lawmakers wonder why it isn't more efficient for one examiner to drive 40 miles to test a dozen applicants than to have a dozen or more people drive 40 miles to a distant exam station. "Shifting costs to the customer hardly qualifies as government efficiency." Heidepriem and Hunhoff said that if the closures take effect as planned, state officials should prepare to face a legislative backlash in January. Charles Mix County legislators have been working on this issue, but would also like to hear your concerns. You can contact Cooper Garnos at PO Box 119, Presho, SD 57568 or call 605-895-2414; Thomas Deadrick at 36696 275th St., Platte, SD 57369 or call 605-337-3999; and Kent Juhnke at 29219 250th St., Vivian, SD 57576 or call 605-683-6661.