South Dakota

South Dakota

Supporters of a ballot initiative to legalize medical marijuana in South Dakota need to collect just over 16,000 signatures by April 6, 2010 to qualify for the ballot. A similar measure failed by just 2% in 2006.

Read the story from the Rapid City Journal

State Balloting Process

Mon, Feb 16 by Anonymous

The sponsors of any initiated measure or constitutional
amendment must submit that text to the director of the Legislative
Research Council who will within 15 days provide written comments on
the measure to the sponsors and the secretary of state. The comments
must be received by the Secretary of State prior to filing the measure’s full
text.

Ballot Qualifications & Schedule

Mon, Feb 16 by Anonymous

Date Initiative language can be submitted: Any time

Signatures are tied to vote of which office: Governor

Next gubernatorial election: 2010

Votes cast for governor in last election: 335,534

Net number of signatures required: For statutes, 5% of the total vote for
governor in the last gubernatorial election (16,776). For amendments, 10%.
(33,553)

Distribution Requirement: None.

Circulation period: 1 year.

History

Mon, Feb 16 by Anonymous

South Dakota, the first state to adopt initiative and referendum on a
statewide level, did so in 1898. The Direct Legislation Record for December
of that year gave credit for this achievement to the organizing efforts of
Walter E. Kidd of Brown County. Kidd, born in Michigan in 1849, spent “half
his mature years” in farming and the other half in “newspaper work” as
publisher of the Dakota Ruralist, whose front-page motto was “Socialism in
Our Time.” Kidd claimed that it was the “only daily paper in the country

Grade

Mon, Feb 16 by Anonymous

You have full Initiative & Referendum rights. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters can also initiate constitutional amendments by Initiative.

Poll:

See the results of a poll on support for statewide initiative & referendum here.

Delegates to the Republican State Convention have approved a resolution urging voters to reject a ballot measure billed as an attempt to create a clean and open government.

The resolution opposing the ballot measure passed on a strong voice vote after some delegates said the proposed law would prevent many reputable organizations from lobbying the Legislature or local government, would bar thousands of people from donating to political campaigns and might be unconstitutional.

An initiative to limit campaign contributions by people with government contracts and to create a public Web site for details of those contracts will be on the ballot in November. Advertisement

Secretary of State Chris Nelson certified what’s titled the Open and Clean Government Act for a spot on the ballot after he and his staff did a random check of 5 percent of the 26,000 or so signatures filed on petitions.

South Dakota voters may be asked again next year to decide the issue of legalized abortions in the state.

South Dakota’s 2006 campaign could be a harbinger.