South Dakota Voters Reject Effort Aimed At Derailing Medicaid Expansion

South Dakota voters rejected a measure that would have required certain ballot initiatives like Medicaid expansion to pass with 60% support instead of a simple majority.

The overwhelming defeat of Constitutional Amendment C comes ahead of a November referendum on expanding Medicaid health insurance for the poor in the state. With 84% of precincts reporting, the measure, which was initiated by Republicans in the state legislature, had only 32% support with 67.5% of South Dakota voters, or more than 104,000 voting no compared to just about 50,000 who supported the measure.

“Today, the people of South Dakota have preserved their right to use direct democracy,” said Kelly Hall, executive director of Fairness Project, which campaigned against Amendment C and has helped several states expand Medicaid via voter referendums since 2017.

“This victory will benefit tens of thousands of South Dakotans who will choose to use the ballot measure process to increase access to health care for their families and neighbors, raise wages, and more policies that improve lives,” Hall said. “We look forward to what’s next in South Dakota: an aggressive campaign to expand Medicaid in the state,”