With the 2026 general election less than a year away, ballot measure sponsors are gathering signatures, and one proposal is already drawing sharp criticism.
The South Dakota Retailers Association opposes Rick Weiland’s initiative, saying it would restrict lawmakers from making needed administrative changes. Executive Director Nathan Sanderson argues the measure’s seven-year limit on altering statutes—even with voter approval—would tie the legislature’s hands.
Weiland, sponsor of IM-28 and founder of Dakotans for Health, counters that lawmakers are undermining direct democracy. Adding “The legislature and the political establishment in Pierre are going out of their way to stop voters from using the initiative process,”
The dispute comes after lawmakers recently raised the threshold for passing constitutional amendments, altered Medicaid requirements, and shortened signature deadlines—a change now tied up in federal court after a district judge sided with Weiland’s group.
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