South Dakota's earlier ballot measure deadline triggers lawsuit
Players in latest election-related legal battle sparred in court ahead of 2024 election on abortion; plaintiff regular user of state's initiated measure system
A newly passed law that moves up the deadline for citizen-led ballot petitions is facing a legal challenge in federal court.
Dakotans for Health and its chair, Rick Weiland, filed a lawsuit Tuesday against South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson, seeking to block enforcement of House Bill 1184. The law, signed last month by Gov. Larry Rhoden, shifts the petition submission deadline from the first Tuesday in May to the first Tuesday in February, reducing the window for signature collection.
