Legislators opt for status quo, won’t require ballot signatures from across South Dakota

HB 1200 would have forced petition circulators to gather signatures in 35 legislative districts

Sioux Falls Falls voter Perry Steilow was among thousands of voters who opted to vote early ahead of the 2022 General Election. (Joe Sneve/The Dakota Scout)

PIERRE — Petition circulators in South Dakota will be able to continue cultivating signatures from within the state’s urban centers alone.

That’s the takeaway from Monday morning’s defeat of House Bill 1200, which proposed requiring that a portion of signatures needed to put constitutional amendments before voters come from each of South Dakota’s 35 legislative districts. Specifically, the measure would have forced petition circulators to collect at least 1,001 signatures from each legislative district.

Those behind the legislation, including Republican Rep. Liz May, say too often petition circulators gather signatures from within major urban centers like Rapid City and Sioux Falls and do not bother with rural communities. The status quo, they say, does not require any buy-in from sparsely populated areas of the state.

PREVIOUSLY: Future constitutional amendments could require signatures of voters from across the state