Sioux Falls, S.D.(Press Release) – On Tuesday, South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden vetoed House Bill 1169, which would have established the most extreme geographic distribution requirement for petition signatures of any constitutional ballot initiative process in the country.

The Voter Defense Association of South Dakota, which has strongly opposed House Bill 1169 since its introduction earlier this year, issued the following statement upon learning of Governor Rhoden’s veto:

“We sincerely thank Governor Rhoden for his decision to veto House Bill 1169. In doing so, he has chosen to stand with the people and protect the ballot initiative rights enshrined in our state constitution.

House Bill 1169 was a deeply flawed bill that would have severely and unjustly restricted the initiated amendment process in South Dakota. Furthermore, it arguably violated the South Dakota Constitution and created the potential for litigation against the state.

The Legislature has the option of trying to override the Governor’s veto with two-thirds support in each chamber. We strongly urge legislators to respect the Governor’s veto and revisit this policy debate in a future legislative session.

At the same time, we are urging South Dakota voters to contact their State Representatives and State Senators to respectfully request that they vote against any veto override attempt.

In the unfortunate event that the Legislature overrides Governor Rhoden’s veto, our organization stands ready to file a petition to refer House Bill 1169 to voters at the next election. While this would be a very difficult undertaking, we are compelled to do everything possible to defend the ballot initiative rights afforded to the people of our state by Article 23 of the South Dakota Constitution.”

Last Thursday, the Voter Defense Association of South Dakota issued a press release urging Governor Rhoden to veto House Bill 1169.

The next day, the organization held a joint press conference with the League of Women Voters of South Dakota to explain the flaws in House Bill 1169 and announce their shared plan to launch a referendum campaign against the bill.

Governor Rhoden’s veto letter can be viewed here. His office has posted a picture of his veto here.