From my mailbox:
RELEASE DATE: July 17th, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
After eight months of coordination and a legislative session, term limits may be finally heading towards the general election ballot. The Secretary of State has approved the text, petition, and Attorney General’s explanation to begin circulating petitions for the initiated amendment.
Current law allows legislators to serve four consecutive terms, which means they may serve indefinitely (without limit) as long as there is a break or a switch between chambers. The proposed amendment would limit legislators to eight years in each chamber or a total of 16 years. State Senator Brent “B.R.” Hoffman said he initiated the effort at the request of his constituents and is confident it will pass if they can get the petition signatures required. “South Dakotans support term limits by large margins across nearly every demographic group, and I’m confident voters will approve term limits at the ballot box because they always have previously,” he said. Voters first passed (64-36) the provision with the consecutive language in 1992. In 2008, voters overwhelmingly defeated (76-24) a resolution from the state legislature to remove limits.
Despite the public support for term limits, Senator Hoffman acknowledged the requirement to gather more than 35,000 petition signatures is a daunting challenge and there will be organized opposition. But he also noted that South Dakotans for Term Limits is a volunteer-led effort, and they’re putting together a 35-district team of veterans, activists and both former and current elected officials to help lead the effort. Brad Lindwurm of Sioux Falls is a member of that team, and he added, “Term limits encourage new ideas and accountability while discouraging elitism and politics as usual. It’s also consistent with our state motto and the constitution, and I’m proud to support this effort.”
If South Dakotans for Term Limits submits the petitions, the amendment would be on the general election ballot in November 2024. According to Senator Hoffman, they also plan to organize debates in host districts and at county political events as part of a “long term strategy” to engage citizens and improve representative government.
Draconion lol who writes this stuff! I had no idea legislators could serve more than eight years in the house and will gladly sign the petition.
Another bad idea. Dana Hess recently wrote a good op ed explaining why: https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2023/06/27/legislative-term-limits-punish-success-rob-voters-of-power/
Lots of bad ideas being circulated for the ballot next year. My advice is not to sign ANY of these petitions!
The irony is that voters already control this. Don’t keep voting them in if they become ineffective, or are a problem. It doesn’t need to be a law. The people back home need to pay attention to the people they send to Pierre. Know their voting record, know what they do. Stop just voting for the familiar name.
The only person I’ve heard speak out against this is my own state representative. I’ll vote for this and against him next spring!
So are you “Sioux Falls Forever” or “EC Stevens?” Stop sock puppeting and pick a handle.
Anyone for this buffoonery is either unintentionally or overtly for having special interest groups and lobbyists writing their bills since there won’t be any representatives with the institutional knowledge to do it themselves. Don’t like your rep? Vote them out. Really don’t like them? Quit being lazy and campaign against them.
Sock puppeting is a new one on me. I don’t like all of these amendments, but I will vote for term limits. I pray every day that abortion doesn’t make the ballot.
Can’t wait for the Senator to rant on the floor again about changing the license plate to the State Moto: “Under God, the people who can only serve a maximum of 16 years in the State Legislature rule”
Been in pierre long enough for a cup of coffee and thinks we’ve got a problem in need of fixing. Maybe he should ask around and make a name for himself by being a thoughtful legislator after that second cup has settled.
I’m sure he’s a nice enough guy. Great family man. But there is big “Smartest Guy in the Room” energy there.
But he’s not the smartest guy in the room.
I guess I’m old fashioned, but I thought the Legislature did a much better job before term limits came in. Fact is: elected officials are always “term limited”…they stand for election at regular intervals. Preferred are the days of Speaker Barnett and Senate Leader Homer Harding…the legislature in those days possessed much more expertise and had an institutional memory.
This is a horrible idea. I’m not surprised the source – you could tell when he was running that he thought he was smarter than everyone else.
there’s not even a debate here, just craziness. say no.
let’s rewrite the measure, so that terms are limited to two years in, two years off, et cetera, until eight years of total service are accrued. this move will quickly leapfrog us past the next three term limit referendums which could arise.
I love all the anon comments. I personally could care less whether or not Senator Hoffman’s term limits pass as I do see merits to both sides. However, seeing his fellow legislators dog on him and others under a pseudonym is both comical and pathetic. If you got a problem with someone, say it to their face, if you don’t like their ideas, beat them and get them out of office. Anonymously commenting on some random SD politics blog behind your college’s back does nothing but prove our legislators are just a bunch of politios who are too lazy to do their actual job… and people wonder whats wrong with America’s politics.
Thanks, only person named Dennis, for your lack of anonymity!
Mayhaps other Dennis some of the other anons are simply other citizens and observers, not some nefarious tongue wagging cohorts of the shortsighted proponent of this preposterous proposal.
Occam’s razor is handy in situations such as this. Unless you think boogeymen are constantly plotting and everything is a conspiracy. In which case you belong to the other camp that makes people wonder what’s wrong with American politics.
I truly am just an average SD voter as much as you may doubt it. I can only assume from your reaction to my comment that you truly are just one of the mediocre moderate legislators we have in office. Sad.
Keep jousting at windmills then, you’ll learn in time that the internet is a big enough space that not everyone is who you think they are.
:^)
If only you knew how true that really is.
And you’re as anonymous as most posters here, so why are you whining?
that would be my question lol
Speaking of people who think they’re smarter than they are, check out “Also a Dennis” with his inflated vocabulary and philosophical insights LMAO
i checked “also a dennis” out, as much as was possible. his word usage was acceptable, unless you’re concerned about the opening word “mayhaps.” well ya got us there i guess.