South Dakota Constitution Article 23 - Amendments and Revisions of the Constitution.
South Dakota Constitution – Article 23: Amendments and Revisions of the Constitution outlines how the state constitution may be changed. Below is a summary of the main provisions in Article 23:
Section 1 – Proposal of Amendments by Legislature
The Legislature may propose constitutional amendments.
A proposed amendment must be approved by a majority of all members of each house.
It is then submitted to the voters at the next general election.
If a majority of voters approve, the amendment becomes part of the Constitution.
Section 1A – Multiple Amendments
If multiple amendments are submitted, they must be so formulated that each can be voted on separately.
Section 2 – Constitutional Convention
The question of whether to call a constitutional convention must be submitted to voters at least once every 20 years.
If a majority of voters approve, a convention is called to revise the Constitution.
Any proposed revision from the convention must also be submitted to voters and requires majority approval.
Section 3 – Constitutional Amendments by Initiative
Citizens may also propose amendments via the initiative process.
A petition must be signed by qualified voters equal to at least 10% of the total votes cast for governor in the last election.
The proposed amendment is then placed on the ballot at the next general election and must receive a majority vote to be adopted.
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