South Dakota: Open Primaries

South DakotaOpen Primaries

Campaign Status: Active

The Policy

Amendment H: Pass Top Two Open Primaries for Congressional offices (Governor, legislative, and county seats)

Background

South Dakota’s primary system currently excludes 150,000 independent voters, and only 17% of South Dakotans participated in this year’s primary elections. Amendment H wants to fix that. By replacing closed party primaries with a single unified primary where the top two vote-getters move on to the general election, more voters will be involved in the primary process and politicians will be forced to campaign to all instead of just the loudest corners of their party who participate in partisan primaries.

Who’s Involved?

South Dakotans for Open Primaries is leading the charge in-state to pass Amendment H

GET INVOLVED

Many voters don’t know about crucial ballot measures like this which is why we need your help to reach 2 million+ voters before this year’s election.

You can pitch in right now from the comfort of your home by textbanking and phonebanking. Sign up and make history this election.

The Latest On This Campaign

Most South Dakotans support open primaries, poll shows

Sep 4 2024

South Dakotans by a wide margin support a constitutional amendment that would change the way the state conducts primary elections, according to a scientific poll of 500 registered voters co-sponsored by South Dakota News Watch.

South Dakota’s Primary Election System is Broken

Sep 3 2024

“Our closed primary system is not fair to the 153,000 independent voters in the state. They deserve to have a voice in selecting the people who will lead the state. After all, democracy works best when all voters get to vote.”

Amendment H advocates say it’s time for change

Jul 16 2024

Closed primaries are the current form of elections in South Dakota but one organization is pushing for change, hoping to create a more welcoming environment for all voters.