South Dakota News Watch · Emily DeCock · September 3, 2026
No. Every ballot measure passed in the past five years only passed with a simple majority, and none surpassed 60%. Currently in South Dakota, a simple majority is needed to pass a ballot measure, which is a law, issue or question that appears on a statewide or local ballot for voters of that jurisdiction to decide. If passed, Amendment L, which will appear on the ballot on Nov. 3, would require 60% of the vote to pass constitutional amendments. Four of 13 proposed measures have passed since 2020. The last ballot measure to pass with over 60% of the vote established a medical marijuana program in South Dakota for individuals with a debilitating medical condition. It passed in 2020 with 70% of the vote. North Dakota and Utah voters will also have the choice to raise the bar for constitutional amendments to 60% in November. ℹ️ This fact brief responds to claims such as this one .
Sources Ballotpedia, List of South Dakota ballot measures Ballotpedia, South Dakota Initiated Measure 26, Medical Marijuana Initiative (2020) National Conference of State Legislatures, Initiative and Referendum Processes State Court Report, Constitutional Amendment Processes in the 50 States Election Law Blog, “Some states will ask voters to make it harder to pass constitutional amendments” About fact briefs Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by South Dakota News Watch as part of the Gigafact network. Submit a question for us to answer on the tipline . Share your thoughts on this story South Dakota News Watch is an independent nonprofit. Read, donate and subscribe for free at sdnewswatch.org . Contact reporter Emily DeCock: emily.decock@sdnewswatch.org.