Dakotas Consider Raising Voter Threshold for Constitutional Amendments, Sparking Debate Over Direct Democracy
South Dakota and North Dakota are currently weighing initiatives that would significantly alter the process for amending their state constitutions and enacting voter-led reforms. In South Dakota, a proposed amendment, appearing on the ballot as Amendment L, seeks to increase the required voter support for constitutional amendments from a simple majority (50%) to 60%. This change is being championed by Republican lawmakers, who currently hold a supermajority in the state legislature. Advocates for direct democracy, such as Rick Weiland, co-chair of Dakotans for Health, argue that this move is an attempt to undermine the power of voters to enact reforms when the legislature is unwilling. They point to the successful 2022 Medicaid expansion, which passed with over 56% of the vote but would have failed under the proposed 60% threshold. Similarly, North Dakota leaders have expressed frustration with recent successful voter initiatives, including the establishment of an ethics commission in 2018 and term limits ... 
