SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A pair of campaigns to expand Medicaid in South Dakota are nearing enough voter petitions to be placed on the ballot next year, organizers said Thursday.
One campaign, Dakotans4Health, sponsored by former Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Rick Weiland, has collected an estimated 36,000 signed petitions and is attempting to reach 45,000 by a Nov. 8 deadline.
Meanwhile, a separate campaign, South Dakotans Decide Health Care, backed by the state’s major health care systems and medical organizations, has surpassed the roughly 34,000 signature minimum and plans to turn in about 50,000 signatures, according to Zach Marcus, a spokesman for the campaign.
The Secretary of State will assess whether the signatures come from South Dakota voters and usually dismisses some. If enough signatures are gathered, the measures would appear on the November 2022 ballot.
