Supporters of a “top two” primary election system in South Dakota that would replace the current partisan process with one open to all voters have submitted thousands more petition signatures than required to bring a vote this fall on their ballot initiative. On Monday, South Dakota Open Primaries sponsors said they submitted petitions with 47,000 signatures to Secretary of State Monae Johnson’s office. The measure group needs 35,017 valid signatures to make the November ballot. Johnson’s office has until Aug. 13 to validate the measure, a proposed constitutional amendment. Under South Dakota’s current primary election system, candidates in gubernatorial, congressional, legislative and county races compete in a partisan primary. The measure would allow all candidates to compete against each other in one primary, and the top two vote-getters in each race or for each seat would advance to the general election. A similar measure failed in 2016. |
Spotlight: U.S. authorities tell int'l students to leave U.S. if universities go onlineMayor of S.Korean capital Seoul found deadIraqi FM meets with Iranian counterpart in BaghdadAstronauts selected for ShenzhouChina hands over first batch of vaccine donation to MaldivesUK announces fresh measures to support jobs, spur recovery amid coronavirus crisisChina strongly condemns UK's suspension of extradition treaty with HKSARMeeting of EU Foreign Affairs Council held in BrusselsChina, France hold strategic dialogueFoldable phones surge in popularity amid stagnant market