Ballot Question I - Medicaid Expansion — Conditioned on Federal Funding
Would repeal South Dakota’s expanded Medicaid coverage (approved by voters in 2022’s Amendment D) if the federal government’s share of funding for that expansion drops below 90%.
- Current expansion covers adults ages 18–65 with incomes at or below 133% of the federal poverty level.
- Referred to the ballot by the 2025 Legislature (House Joint Resolution 5001).
SDGOP POSITION: VOTE YES
Why: Protects South Dakota taxpayers from being stuck with the bill if Washington reduces its share of Medicaid expansion funding — a fiscally responsible guardrail against an unfunded federal mandate.
Ballot Question J - Citizenship Voting Requirement
Would amend the state constitution to clarify that an individual must be a United States citizen to be eligible to vote in South Dakota elections.
- South Dakota’s voter registration form already requires voters to certify U.S. citizenship.
- Sponsored by Sen. Taffy Howard; passed with broad bipartisan legislative support in 2025.
SDGOP POSITION: VOTE YES
Why: Enshrines a common-sense election-integrity safeguard directly in the state constitution, closing any future gap even though current registration practice already requires citizenship.
Ballot Question K - Unclaimed Property Trust Fund
Would create a dedicated trust fund for the state’s unclaimed property proceeds, with only a portion of the fund’s annual interest and income directed to the state general fund each year.
- In 2024, the state took in about $175 million in unclaimed property and paid out $38 million in claims.
- Works alongside Senate Bill 155, signed by Gov. Larry Rhoden, to phase down the state’s reliance on unclaimed property as a general-fund revenue source.
SDGOP POSITION: VOTE YES
Why: Sound fiscal management — it smooths out a volatile revenue source and stops the state from budgeting around money that rightfully belongs to South Dakotans who haven’t claimed it yet. Passed the Legislature unanimously (35-0, 69-0).
Ballot Question L - 60% Vote Requirement for Constitutional Amendments
Would raise the threshold to approve future state constitutional amendments — both legislatively referred and citizen-initiated — from a simple majority (over 50%) to a 60% supermajority.
- South Dakota currently requires only a simple majority to amend the constitution.
- Would not apply retroactively to amendments already on this year’s ballot (I, J, and K).
SDGOP POSITION: VOTE YES
Why: Raises the bar so our founding document isn’t rewritten by narrow margins driven by well-funded, often out-of-state campaigns — reserving constitutional change for genuine, broad-based consensus.
Source: Office of the South Dakota Attorney General, final ballot explanations (2026); South Dakota Secretary of State. The Attorney General’s office takes no position on these measures.