Attorney General Jackley Releases Draft Explanation For Proposed
Constitutional Amendment Eliminating Single Subject Rule
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has released a draft ballot explanation for a proposed constitutional amendment, proposed by Quincy Hanzen of Sioux Falls, that would repeal the single subject rule.
This proposed constitutional amendment would remove the current limitation that a proposed constitutional amendment can include only one subject. The ballot explanation can be found here.
State law requires the Attorney General draft a title and explanation for each initiated measure, initiated constitutional amendment, constitutional amendment proposed by the Legislature, or referred measure that may appear on an election ballot. The Attorney General’s explanation is meant to be an “objective, clear, and simple summary” intended to “educate the voters of the purpose and effect of the proposed” measure, as well as identify the “legal consequences” of each measure.
The Attorney General takes no position on any such proposal.
Once the Attorney General has filed and posted the draft explanation, the public has 10 days to provide written comment. The explanation was filed today (Tuesday, June 6), and the deadline for comments on this explanation is June 16, 2023, at the close of business in Pierre, South Dakota. The final explanation is due to the Secretary of State on June 26, 2023.
The draft amendment would require 35,017 valid petition signatures to qualify for the 2024 general election ballot.
To file written comments on a draft Attorney General’s explanation please use one of the following methods below. Copies of all received comments will be posted on this website.
Comments may be submitted via mail, or through hand delivery, to the Attorney General’s Office at:
Office of the Attorney General
Ballot Comment
1302 E. Hwy. 14, Suite 1
Pierre, SD 57501
Comments that are hand delivered must be received by the close of business in Pierre, South Dakota, by June 16, 2023. Comments that are mailed must be received by the Attorney General’s Office before the deadline expires to be accepted.
Comments may also be emailed to [email protected] by June 16, 2023. Comments should be clearly expressed in the body of the email. The Attorney General’s Office will not open attachments in an effort to prevent malware or other digital threats. Please include your name and contact information when submitting your comment. The title of the comment must be included in the subject line of the email.
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This young fella worked on the recreational cannabis campaign.
According to the SD Supreme Court, if we leave this rule in place, nearly everything can be thrown out that isn’t enacted by the legislators. I think we need to eliminate it. There is always opportunity to add something back in, but we need to remember this is OUR state, not just theirs.