This bill amends South Dakota's existing laws regarding the signature requirements for petitions to initiate constitutional amendments. Specifically, it stipulates that a petition must be signed by qualified voters from each senatorial district, with the number of signatures required being at least five percent of the total votes cast for Governor in that district during the last gubernatorial election. Additionally, the total number of signatures on the petition must equal at least ten percent of the total votes cast for Governor in the last election.

Furthermore, the bill outlines the procedural requirements for filing a petition, including the necessity for petition sponsors to submit the petition in both physical and electronic formats to the secretary of state at least one year before the next general election. The petition must include specific elements such as the full text of the proposed amendment, a designated election date, and a notarized affidavit from each petition sponsor. It also mandates that each petition circulator provide a handout with essential information to individuals signing the petition, and establishes a deadline for filing the petition signatures with the secretary of state.

Statutes affected:
Introduced, 01/30/2025: 2-1-1
House State Affairs Engrossed, 02/10/2025: 2-1-1
Senate State Affairs Engrossed, 03/06/2025: 2-1-1, 2-1-1.1
Enrolled, 03/12/2025: 2-1-1, 2-1-1.1