Dakota Dialogues

Our hosts, Norah and Evan, meet with Dr. Julia Hellwege and Dr. Michael Card to share their favorite moments from the Civics Uncovered series.

Hear from hosts Norah and Evan about the function of the South Dakota State Legislature. They speak with current House Representative, David Kull (District 2) and Senator Randy Deibert (District 31). Both interviews were conducted live at the State Capital in Pierre during the 2026 Legislative session .

Host Evan Firman talks with John Fiksdal of Media One in Sioux Falls about the history of the South Dakota ballot initiative and his experience with recent campaigns.

Our hosts sit down with Anita Wetsch of Sioux Falls, current Board member for the BID (Business Improvement District).

Dr. Fairholm from USD joins our hosts to discuss special districts.

Norah and Evan are joined by the South Dakota State Courts Administrator , Greg Sattizahn, to hear about the structure of this jurisdiction.

Listen in while our hosts speak to Christian Skunk , current USD Law student and former member of the Lower Brule Tribal Council.

Norah and Evan talk with City Council members from both Rapid City and Garretson. Callie Meyer from Rapid shares some recent successes. Brayden Beaner of Garretson talks of public safety and public engagement.

Our hosts Norah and Evan take a trip to the state capital to talk with Lt. Governor, Tony Venhuizen. Later, they are joined over Zoom by the General Counsel to the Governor's office, Katie Hruska.

Join our hosts, Evan and Norah, as they learn about South Dakota County Government. Guest: Gary Drewes (Pennington Co.) & Geoffrey Gray-Lobe (Clay Co.)

Hosts Norah O'Neil and Evan Firman talk to school board members from Watertown (Bailey Rami) and Sioux Falls (Dawn Marie Johnson).

Tune in to hear from Dr. Julia Hellwege and students from the Chiesman Center for Democracy at USD as they discuss the upcoming season of Civics Uncovered.

Max and Waverly speak with Dr. Julia Hellwege, USD professor and current director of the Chiesman Center for Democracy. They reflect on the first season of Dakota Dialogues, comments from guest Baratunde Thurston, and share their thoughts about what is next for democracy in South Dakota and beyond.

Waverly and Max review the season one episode about Citizen Satisfaction with Democracy including excerpts from SD Senator Liz Larson and SD Hall of Famer, Ted Meunster. Waverly shares an interview with fellow USD student, Ellie Hart.

Max and Waverly reflect on comments from USD Professor Tim Schorn and Dr. David Law from the University of Virginia Law school, regarding a significant percentage of SD citizens' expressed openness to a system other than democracy.

Max and Waverly discuss the issue of civility with Season 1 excerpts from Dr. Cherie Strachan, SD Representative Will Mortenson, and the Ben Shapiro podcast. * At the time of this recording, it was reported that Kilmar Abrego Garcia was an American citizen which was later clarified to reflect his Withholding of Removal status in the US and citizenship of El Salvador. (re. comments made at about 27...

Waverly and Max share an interview with Dr. Lisa Bryant conducted during the March 2025 Chiesman Center Conference at USD and reflect on the season one episode featuring Tammy Patrick and Dr. Mitchell Brown.

Hear from Max and Waverly about voting rights and security of our elections as they reflect on this season one episode.

Waverly and Max discuss comments from season one by Professor Sophia Rosenfeld , USD Provost Kurt Hackemer , and South Dakota News Watch CEO, Carson Walker. They examine differences between South Dakota and National data around confidence in higher education and speculate on how possibly to rebuild confidence in the Democratic Party.

Listen in as Waverly and Max share the most recent polling data collected by the Chiesman Center for Democracy during the 2025 conference.

Tune in to hear Max and Waverly reflect on the first season of Dakota Dialogues with 2025 in view. They discuss the performance art aspect of the political arena, the possibilities for true bipartisanship, and the tests political parties measure against their own members to prove loyalty.

Join hosts Max Mickelson and Waverly Patterson as they recap the 2025 Chiesman Center for Democracy annual conference and interview a handful of the presenters. Max and Waverly are both seniors at USD majoring in Political Science who work for the Chiesman Center for Democracy. Guests this episode: Representative Drew Peterson , Representative Erin Healy , Carson Walker of SDNW, Senator Jamie Smit...

Shane and Julia question esteemed guests on the next steps for a better democratic state. Baratunde Thurston ,  How to Citizen Podcast & America Outdoors Kayla Demonte,  Citizen University Kelsey Lovseth,   Social Studies, Brookings SD High School

Shane and Julia talk to guests about the state and meaning of citizen satisfaction with democracy both in South Dakota and across the country. Guests are: Dr. Greg Shufeldt , Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Indianapolis Senator Liz Larson ,  South Dakota Senator, Minority Whip, District 10 Sioux Falls Ted Meunster ,  Vermillion SD

Chiesman Center polling data revealed a percentage of South Dakota voters who believe that alternatives to democracy might be preferable. Shane and Julia explore what this might mean with David S. Law ,  Professor of Politics, University of Virginia and Timothy Schorn ,  Professor of Political Science at the University of South Dakota.