Gov. Rhoden vetoes bill regarding petition signature collection changes

South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden has vetoed a bill which would have changed South Dakota’s laws regarding collecting signatures for ballot measures. House Bill 1169 would have forced petitioners to collect signatures from at least five percent of each of of the 35 senate districts based on the last gubernatorial election turnout. Voter advocacy groups have claimed if this became law, it would make South Dakota the strictest state in the nation when it comes to geographic petition signature requirements. Under current law, petitioners must get signatures equal to 10 percent of the vote cast in the last gubernatorial election from across the entire state to get measures on the ballot.