South Dakota Election Day

• Posted on 7 November 2022
• 0

It's voting day here in South Dakota and legalizing marijuana is on the ballot yet again!

If you live in South Dakota, you may remember the state elections of 2020. It was an historic time for our state for more reasons than one, but one particular issue has returned this year for round two, and the population is elated to see it.

In 2020, voters in South Dakota decided by a 54% victory that the state constitution should be amended to legalize marijuana for all adults. Due to a lawsuit brought about by two county sheriffs on behalf of the governor, movement on the election results was postponed until the case eventually reached the South Dakota Supreme Court. The results were repealed.

Since then, the legislation has been rewritten. The new amendment uses language that allows many more protocols to be decided by the state. It focuses on decriminalization and less on outlining regulation, and the hope is to avoid any technicality lawsuits this time around.

If Initiated Measure 27 passes today, it will align South Dakota with many other states in the union working to reform outdated drug laws. The president has already pardoned many citizens jailed over simple possession charges, and voting outcomes seem to reflect a nationwide desire to limit our ever-increasing incarceration rate.

We will be posting the results of the South Dakota election tomorrow as well as those in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, and North Dakota!

Update:

South Dakota, North Dakota, and Arkansas all voted NO

Maryland and Missouri passed!