South Dakotans got to vote on ten statewide ballot measures in 2016. I provided this page during the election as a clearinghouse of information for voters studying the measures before voting. Voters enacted four of the measures: Amendment R, Amendment S, Initiated Measure 21, and Initiated Measure 22, all of which became law on November 16, 2016. I list the full election results from November 8, 2016, here.
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Read the full text of each measure on the Secretary of State’s website. Then check out my quick guide below on how I plan to vote on each. Click on each title to access a description, full text, and other fun links on each ballot measure. (Measures are listed in the order they appear on our ballot.)
Constitutional Amendments:
- Amendment R: Regents/vo-tech authority split (proposed by Legislature 2015)—YES
- Amendment S: Glodt’s crime victims bill of rights—NO
- Amendment T: Independent Redistricting Commission—YES
- Amendment U: Usury! Payday Lender Protection Clause—NO
- Amendment V: Open Nonpartisan Primary—YES
Initiated Measures:
- Initiated Measure 21: 36% Payday Loan Rate Cap—YES
- Initiated Measure 22: Anti-Corruption Act—YES
- Initiated Measure 23: “Fair Share” Union Dues—YES
Referred Laws:
- Referred Law 19: Incumbent Protection Act—NO
- Referred Law 20: Youth Minimum Wage Cut—NO
Useful Resources:
- Official text of all ten ballot measures
- Secretary of State’s 2016 Ballot Question Pamphlet: includes Attorney General’s explanations, official Pro and Con statements, and sponsor names and addresses.
- Secretary of State’s 2016 ballot question webpage: includes original initiative/referendum petitions.
- Ballot Question Committees: see who’s sponsoring, who’s supporting, and who’s opposing each measure and check their campaign finance reports.
- Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce Issue Briefs: nine documents, one for each measure, except for one tackling both payday lending ballot questions (IM 21 and Amendment 21).
- September 15 Ballot Question Forum: Hosted by Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and League of Women Voters and recorded by that Sioux Falls paper, this three-hour program featured speakers discussing and occasionally debating (in order) T, 21, U, V, 19, 20, S, and 22.
- Heidi Marttila-Losure, “Dakotafire Guide to Ballot Measures,” Dakotafire, 2016.09.17.
- KELO Radio Voter Resource Guide, featuring interviews with proponents and opponents of the ballot measures.
South Dakota Blogosphere Ballot Measure Scorecard:
| Issue | Dakota Free Press | South DaCola | SoDak Liberty | Bob Newland | Sioux Empire Podcast | Dakota Today |
| Amendment R: Regents/vo-tech authority split | Yes | Yes | No | No | — | Yes |
| Amendment S: Glodt’s crime victims bill of rights | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Amendment T: Independent Redistricting Commission | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Amendment U: Usury! Payday Lender Protection Clause | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Amendment V: Open Nonpartisan Primary | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Initiated Measure 21: 36% Payday Loan Rate Cap | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Initiated Measure 22: Anti-Corruption Act | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Initiated Measure 23: “Fair Share” Union Dues | Yes | — | No | No | No | Yes |
| Referred Law 19: Incumbent Protection Act | No | — | No | Yes | No | No |
| Referred Law 20: Youth Minimum Wage Cut | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |