SOUTH DAKOTA WILL SEE VERY LITTLE POLICY CHANGES FOLLOWING THE FINAL RESULTS FROM TUESDAY’S GENERAL ELECTION.
STATE VOTERS SHOT DOWN SIX OUT OF SEVEN BALLOT MEASURES.
AMENDMENT H FOR A TOP-TWO PRIMARY ELECTION AND INITIATED MEASURE 28 TO REPEAL STATE SALES TAX ON GROCERIES BOTH RECEIVED HEAVY OPPOSITION AT NEARLY 70 PERCENT OF VOTERS SAYING NO.
TWO OF THE BIGGEST HOT-BUTTON ISSUES, AMENDMENT G TO RESTORE ABORTION ACCESS IN SOUTH DAKOTA AND INITIATED MEASURE 29 TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA, WERE ALSO REJECTED DECISIVELY.
AMENDMENT E, WHICH WOULD HAVE REMOVED GENERIC MALE PRONOUNS IN THE STATE CONSTITUTION, WAS ALSO TURNED DOWN.
THE ONE MEASURE THAT DID PASS IS WORK REQUIREMENTS FOR THOSE RECEIVING MEDICAID. AND THAT WAS DECIDED BY THE SMALLEST MARGIN OF ALL THE BALLOT MEASURES.
WHILE ABORTION WILL REMAIN ILLEGAL IN SOUTH DAKOTA, THE FIGHT ON BOTH SIDES WILL CONTINUE.
EVEN THOUGH A MAJORITY OF VOTERS SAID NO TO AMENDMENT G, THERE’S STILL A PENDING LAWSUIT BETWEEN DAKOTANS FOR HEALTH AND LIFE DEFENSE FUND.
THE ANTI-ABORTION GROUP SUED THE GROUP THAT PUT AMENDMENT G ON THE BALLOT ON THE GROUNDS OF INVALID PETITION SIGNATURES BACK IN JUNE.
DECEMBER 2ND IS THE NEXT SCHEDULED HEARING, AND THAT’S WHEN A DECISION CAN BE MADE IF THE TRIAL WILL CONTINUE.
HOWEVER, LIFE DEFENSE FUND’S ATTORNEY SAYS ABORTION OPPONENTS PLAN TO TOSS THE CASE AND END A NEED FOR A TRIAL AFTER THE ULTIMATE GOAL WAS TO DEFEAT AMENDMENT G.
DAKOTANS FOR HEALTH SAID IN A STATEMENT THE NEXT STEP IS ADVOCATING FOR RIGHT TO LIFE POLITICIANS TO FIND A BETTER WAY TO ADDRESS ABORTION RIGHTS IN THE STATE SINCE THEY CLAIMED AMENDMENT G’S WORDING WAS TOO EXTREME.
