PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — The battle over Constitutional Amendment H that South Dakota voters will decide on Tuesday is the latest in a series of disputes about how political candidates should be chosen in the state.
H calls for all candidates seeking an office to be on one primary ballot that all voters would receive, with the top two finishers moving on to the general election. It’s an attempt to counter a trend that has seen the Legislature and every statewide elected office in South Dakota come to be dominated by Republicans whose perspectives are more conservative.
Be informed on the seven 2024 ballot measures
State lawmakers in recent years have dealt with the state’s first-ever impeachment and removal of Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg, who was nominated by delegates at the 2018 South Dakota Republican convention. Four years later, challenger Monae Johnson took the Republican nomination away from the incumbent secretary of state, Steve Barnett, at the 2022 convention.