FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, May 14, 2026
Contact: Tony Mangan, Communications Director, 605-773-6878
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has released the final ballot explanation for a Constitutional Amendment proposed by the Legislature that would clarify that an individual must be a citizen of the United States to be eligible to vote has been filed with the Secretary of State’s Office. The proposed amendment will be on the Nov. 3, 2026 general election ballot.
Attorney General Jackley takes no position on any such proposal for purposes of the ballot explanation. As required by law, he has provided a fair and neutral explanation on the initiated Constitutional Amendment to help assist the voters as required by state law. The sponsors of the proposed Constitutional Amendment were Sen. Taffy Howard and Rep. Logan Manhart.
The Attorney General’s explanation was finalized after a review of all the comments received during the 10-day comment period on the Attorney General’s draft explanation. No comments were received by the deadline.
Language for the final initiated ballot measure explanation can be found here.
For more information regarding ballot measures, please visit the Secretary of State’s website. -30-
