| Designation |
Issue |
Governor's Personal Position |
| Amendment "C" |
Define Marriage |
“Personally, I will vote YES because I just simply believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman.” |
| Amendment "D" |
Property Tax 3% Cap |
“Personally, I will vote NO because if this passes, people with similar homes will not be paying similar amounts of property tax. People who have owned a home for a long time will be paying lower taxes than young families who have just bought their first home or young farmers just starting out. The elderly who downsize to a smaller home, or anyone else that improves or adds on to their home will pay higher taxes. That’s just not fair.” |
| Amendment "E" |
Judicial Accountability |
“Personally, I will vote NO because it violates the separation of powers in our Constitution. We already have a system of appeals for anyone who disagrees with judicial decisions. This new, extra level of government will waste tax dollars. If passed, one statewide super-committee of thirteen people will have ultimate power over all decisions made by all judges, school boards, county commissions and city commissions." |
| Amendment "F" |
Legislative Article Changes |
“Personally, I will vote YES because these are appropriate changes to the Constitution. If passed, it will prohibit voting in closed sessions, shorten the process for introducing bills, and eliminate outdated language.” |
| Initiated Measure #2 |
Increase Cigarette/Tobacco Taxes |
“Personally, I will vote YES because it will improve the health of all South Dakotans by reducing the number of smokers and by reducing second-hand smoke. It will also encourage people to stop smoking, and help young people decide not to smoke.” |
| Initiated Measure #3 |
Mandate School Start After August 31 |
“Personally, I don’t know how I will vote yet. I can see the pros and cons of both sides. I need to study it more before I vote in November.” |
| Initiated Measure #4 |
Medical Marijuana |
“Personally, I will vote NO on this proposal because marijuana leads to more dangerous drug abuse. Many crimes, some of them violent, are committed by drug abusers. Also, we should never send the message to our young people that marijuana is OK — in any way, shape or form.” |
| Initiated Measure #5 |
State Airplane Usage |
“Personally, I will vote NO because this will stop future governors from saving tax dollars by paying the state for use of the state plane when non-government events happen on the same trip. If passed, it will be a crime for any future governor to even talk to a family member, or anyone else, about non-state business, if he or she used the state plane in their travel that day.
“This measure stems from articles published by the Argus Leader – implying that I have abused the use of the state aircraft. That is not true.
“The proponent of this measure claims its passage would result in the governor being treated like all other state employees with regard to travel. That is an unrealistic comparison. Most state employees are on duty for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. The governor is on state duty for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Everything the governor does is “on state time.” When an opportunity arises to combine state business and a personal or family event, the governor should be allowed to do so – especially since the taxpayers are reimbursed for all costs – including that part of the trip dedicated to state business.” |
| Initiated Measure #7 |
Repeal Video Lottery |
“Personally, I will vote NO because it is irresponsible to take over 100 million dollars out of the state budget without proposing a replacement revenue source or cuts.” |
| Initiated Measure #8 |
Repeal 4% Gross Receipts Tax on Wireless Telcom. Service |
“Personally, I will vote NO because we currently tax both land-line telephone companies and cell phone companies. It’s not fair to give an advantage to just one part of an industry by eliminating their taxes. All telecom taxes need to be studied so that a proposal that treats everyone fairly can be created.” |
| Referred Law #6 |
HB 1215 Anti-Abortion |
“Personally, I will vote YES to implement this law because I believe abortion is wrong. This law needs to pass so that Roe v. Wade can be reconsidered by the United States Supreme Court. We’ve had 33 years of more information and more advances in medicine. It's time to reconsider this interpretation of the Constitution, just like the court has done before on other very important issues.” |
