Media Coverage: HJR 5003 Passes SD House State Affairs Committee

The VDA testified in opposition to House Joint Resolution 5003 in the SD Senate State Affairs committee on January 17. HJR 5003’s passage generated the following media coverage:

South Dakota Public Broadcasting
1/17/25 - Panel advances bill raising constitutional amendment vote requirement

“This resolution would establish the joint-highest threshold for passage of an initiated measure in the entire country. Of the 24 states with a ballot initiative process, nearly all of them require a simple 50 percent for passage,” said [Zebadiah] Johnson of the Voter Defense Association of South Dakota. “There is no need for South Dakota, which created the American ballot initiative, to deviate from the norm in such an extreme manner.”

Argus Leader
1/19/25 - Should South Dakota constitutional amendments require a 60% majority to pass?

KXLG
1/18/25 - South Dakota House Committee Approves Controversial Amendment Voting Requirement

Dakota Scout
1/17/25 - House Republicans set stage for pair of ballot initiatives in 2026

South Dakota Searchlight
1/17/25 - Lawmakers consider higher bar for constitutional amendments and a trigger to end Medicaid expansion

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