As required by state law, the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office has drafted an explanation for a Constitutional Amendment proposed by the Legislature that would require any future proposed Constitutional Amendment or Revision receive an affirmative vote of at least 60 percent of the votes cast to be approved. The draft explanation has been filed with the Secretary of State’s Office.
Attorney General Marty Jackley takes no position on any such proposal for purposes of the ballot explanation. He has provided a fair and neutral explanation to help assist the voters as required by state law.
Rep. John Hughes and Sen. Sue Peterson are listed as the prime sponsors of the proposal which was approved by the 2025 South Dakota Legislature.
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.
Once the Attorney General has filed and posted the draft explanation, the public has 10 days to provide written comment. The explanation was filed May 1, 2026, and the deadline for comments on this explanation is May 11, 2026, at the close of business in Pierre, South Dakota. The final explanation is due to the Secretary of State on May 19, 2026.
If approved, the explanation will accompany the proposal on the 2026 general election ballot which is Nov. 3.
To file written comments regarding the language of the explanation, not the merits of the proposal, please use one of the following methods below. Copies of all comments received by the deadline 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 S.D. E. Hwy. 1889, Suite #1
Pierre, SD 57501
Comments that are hand delivered must be received by the close of business in Pierre, South Dakota, by May 10, 2026.
Comments may also be emailed to ATGballotcomments@state.sd.us by May 11, 2026 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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