Press Release: SD Legislature Fails to Override Governor Rhoden’s Veto of House Bill 1169
For Immediate Release
March 31, 2025
Contact:
Quincy Hanzen
Voter Defense Association of South Dakota
(605) 301-0551
info@vdasd.org
PRESS RELEASE:
SD Legislature Fails to Override Governor Rhoden’s Veto of House Bill 1169
HB 1169, which would have established a stringent local signature requirement for constitutional ballot initiatives in South Dakota, will not become law
Sioux Falls, SD – On the final day of the 2025 South Dakota legislative session, the South Dakota Legislature failed to override Governor Larry Rhoden’s veto of 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.
“This is a major victory for the ballot initiative process in South Dakota,” said Matthew Schweich, President of the Voter Defense Association of South Dakota. “We once again thank Governor Rhoden for exercising his veto authority against HB 1169 and we thank those legislators who voted to respect his decision.”
HB 1169 had previously passed the South Dakota House by a vote of 63 to 6 and the South Dakota Senate by a vote of 19 to 15.
Today, the House voted 50 to 18 in support of overriding the veto while the Senate voted 16 to 16. Overriding the veto would have required two-thirds support in each chamber. Due to the outcome of the vote in the Senate, Governor Rhoden’s veto has been sustained.
“It’s encouraging to see that support for HB 1169 decreased in both chambers,” said Schweich.
Governor Rhoden’s letter regarding his decision to veto HB 1169 can be viewed here. His office posted a picture of his veto here.
“Our work to defeat HB 1169 would not have been possible without the help of voters from all across South Dakota who contacted the Governor and their state legislators and expressed opposition to this deeply flawed legislation,” added Schweich.
The Voter Defense Association of South Dakota is a nonpartisan political organization based in Sioux Falls, SD. Its mission is to “defend the ballot initiative rights of South Dakota voters and ensure that laws and regulations governing electoral processes in South Dakota are reasonable, fair, and transparent.”
[END]