Undated (KELO AM) - Just eight days before the General Election, a new Nielson Brothers Polling survey shows little surprise in major South Dakota races, however some ballot measures remain too close to call ahead of polling day.
Donald Trump is maintaining a 49%-35% edge over Hillary Clinton in the Presidential race. Libertarian Gary Johnson is polling at 7%, while Constitution Party Candidate Darrell Castle has just one percent support. Eight percent of those surveyed remain undecided.
Incumbent Senator Thune and Rep. Noem are also enjoying double-digit leads over their Democratic challengers. Thune 54%-35% over Jay Williams and Noem 51%-41% over Paula Hawks. Eight percent of those polled were undecided in the House race, 11% in the Senate race.
South Dakota's crowded ballot measures were also polled, many were one-sided however Amendment V, which calls for the removal of party labels from state elections is a dead heat. Of those surveyed, 38% said they will vote for the measure and 38% said they will vote against it. Twenty four percent remain undecided.
Amendment T, which calls for an independent committee to redraw state legislative boundaries following each census was also popular with voters, at least for now. Forty two percent said yes, 27% no, however 31% remain undecided.
Measures regarding payday lenders were also surveyed. Amendment U, which caps interest rates on such loans unless the borrower agrees to a higher rate in writing has just 24% support with 45% saying they will vote against. However, 30% remain undecided. Initiated Measure 21, the hard-line 36% rate cap, would pass according to the survey with 39% support to 26% against and 35% undecided.
Additionally, 44% of voters surveyed think the state is headed in the right direction. Twenty-nine percent think we're headed in the wrong direction, and 27% are unsure. Governor Daugaard's approval rating was also polled, 28% said they strongly approve of his work, 33% somewhat approve, 24% somewhat disapprove, and 16% strongly disapprove.
The NBP poll surveyed over 600 South Dakota voters and has a margin of error of around four percent.