Voting in the South Dakota Senate election? Here's what you need to know.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/campus-election-engagement-project/rick-weiland-vs-mike-roun_b_6018636.html

With the South Dakota Senate race as close as it is, it can be tough to figure out who you should vote for. Sure you know the candidates' parties, but what do they really stand for? The Huffington Post has provided a quick and dirty cheat sheet for just that, without the political spin (yes really). So here's the low-down:

All candidates support raising the debt ceiling and believe that humans are contributing to climate change, and none of them signed a pledge to oppose the raising of taxes to increase federal revenue, so you don't really have a choice there.

If you are in favor of:

•  a Constitutional Balance Budget Amendment
• the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which allowed unlimited independent political expenditures by corporations and unions 
• limited government mandates and/or subsidies for renewable energy
• repealing Obamacare 
• the 2013 shutting down of the government to defund Obamacare
•  high restrictions of who can get abortions 
• an employer's ability to withhold contraception from employees if the employer doesn't agree with it morally

and against:

• the DISCLOSE Act, which would require key funders of political ads to put their names on those ads
• raising the minimum wage
• the Dodd-Frank Act, which established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
• federal spending as a means of increasing economic growth
• the refinancing of student loans at lower rates, paid for by increasing taxes on income over a million dollars
• government action to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
• gay marriage
• enacting more restrictive gun control legislation 
• the D.R.E.A.M. Act, which would allow children brought into the country illegally to achieve legal status if they've graduated from high school, have a clean legal record, and attend college or serve in the military
• the comprehensive immigration plan passed by the Senate in 2013, which includes a pathway to citizenship and increased funding for border security
• efforts to legalize marijuana
• Planned Parenthood recieving public funds for non-abortion health services 
• increasing taxes on high income individual and corporations to pay for public services

Then you should vote for Mike Rounds

If you are in favor of: 

• the DISCLOSE Act, which would require key funders of political ads to put their names on those ads
• raising the minimum wage
• extending unemployment benefits beyond 26 weeks
• the Dodd-Frank Act, which established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
• federal spending as a means of increasing economic growth
• the refinancing of student loans at lower rates, paid for by increasing taxes on income over a million dollars
• government action to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
• government mandates and/or subsidies for renewable energy
• gay marriage
• enacting more restrictive gun control legislation (specifically required background checks)
• the D.R.E.A.M. Act, which would allow children brought into the country illegally to achieve legal status if they've graduated from high school, have a clean legal record, and attend college or serve in the military
• the comprehensive immigration plan passed by the Senate in 2013, which includes a pathway to citizenship and increased funding for border security
• efforts to legalize marijuana
• Planned Parenthood recieving public funds for non-abortion health services 
• partial privatization of Social Security
• increasing taxes on high income individuals and corporations to pay for public services

and against: 

•  a Constitutional Balance Budget Amendment (probably) 
• the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which allowed unlimited independent political expenditures by corporations and unions 
• repealing Obamacare 
• the 2013 shutting down of the government to defund Obamacare
•  high restrictions of who can get abortions 
• an employer's ability to withhold contraception from employees if the employer doesn't agree with it morally

Then you should vote for Rick Weiland. 

If you are in favor of: 

• the DISCLOSE Act, which would require key funders of political ads to put their names on those ads
• raising the minimum wage
• the Dodd-Frank Act, which established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
• government action to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
• gay marriage
• the comprehensive immigration plan passed by the Senate in 2013, which includes a pathway to citizenship and increased funding for border security
• Planned Parenthood recieving public funds for non-abortion health services 
• partial privatization of Social Security
• increasing taxes on high income individuals and corporations to pay for public services

and against: 

•  a Constitutional Balance Budget Amendment  
• the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which allowed unlimited independent political expenditures by corporations and unions 
• federal spending as a means of increasing economic growth
• government mandates and/or subsidies for renewable energy
• enacting more restrictive gun control legislation 
• repealing Obamacare 
• the 2013 shutting down of the government to defund Obamacare
•  high restrictions of who can get abortions 

Then you should vote for Larry Pressler. 

Yeah, it's a lot. Sorry. But it's an important decision you'll be making if you CAN vote in this upcoming election, so I suggest you read through it and start thinking about it. Personally, I'm really mad that I can't vote in the election now that I know what's at stake. If I had the chance, I would probably vote for Pressler. He seems closest to having a combination of conservative economic policies and liberal social policies, which I what I want out of my public officials.