South Dakota

Rhoden vetoes ‘misguided’ petition bill, signs off on tougher South Dakota residency law

Published

9 months ago

March 26, 2025

Rhoden vetoes ‘misguided’ petition bill, signs off on tougher South Dakota residency law

Gov. Larry Rhoden issued his second veto while making law a slew of legislation focused on South Dakota’s elections and its citizen-led petition process.

Rhoden on Tuesday signed 20 “election bills” largely aimed at tightening the state’s residency and voting requirements.

The most notorious includes House Bill 1208. According to the bill’s language, people who claim residency at a mail forwarding address or post office “without providing a description of the location of the individual’s habitation” are not considered residents of the state and can only vote in the federal election, if eligible. The bill works in tandem with the standing requirement that prospective voters must live in South Dakota for 30 consecutive days to be considered a resident and able to vote in state elections.

Opponents of the legislation have said the bill unfairly restricts the voting rights of full-time travelers from South Dakota and the state’s homeless population.

“South Dakota continues to be an example of free and fair elections. Our election system has integrity, and these bills improve our already strong system,” Rhoden stated in a Tuesday press release. “America is founded on the principle of freedom, and I am proud that we live in a nation and a state where we can choose our leaders.”

Other bills signed by Rhoden include laws prohibiting and penalizing the use of deepfakes in an election, requiring South Dakota driver’s licenses to indicate citizenship status, and banning people who aren’t registered as in-state voters from circulating petitions on ballot measures.

House Bill 1169, brought by State Rep. Rebecca Reimer, R-Rapid City, was the only one of the batch to receive the governor’s veto brand. The bill would have required groups circulating petitions for South Dakota Constitutional Amendments to obtain no less than 5% of signatures for all 35 legislative districts in the state, based on that district’s total votes in the last gubernatorial election, in order to placed on an election ballot.

The statute as it stands only requires circulators to receive a number of signatures equal to 5% of votes cast in the last gubernatorial election for the whole state.

Rhoden stated in a Tuesday press release that HB 1169 has a “worthy goal” in raising the bar for petitioning for constitutional amendments in the state but could prove a legal problem. He explained in a letter to the State House that if a court determines the proposed law infringes on the ability to engage in free speech, it would undergo “strict scrutiny,” or the highest standard of judicial review.

“I am concerned that this bill will not withstand scrutiny in the courts. This bill attempts to change the South Dakota Constitution in statute, and I believe that approach to be misguided,” Rhoden stated.

The governor’s veto was announced after Voter Defense Association of South Dakota, a group focused on the state’s ballot process, held a Friday press conference in which they and supporters threatened to put the bill through the referendum process.

Matthew Schweich, president of VDA, told the Argus Leader the bill would have hamstrung future citizen ballot initiatives in South Dakota by implementing “the most extreme geographic distribution requirement in the U.S.”

Former State Sen. Reynold Nesiba, a Sioux Falls Democrat, planned to sponsor the referendum petition to reject the legislation.

“It will effectively end the constitutional amendment process initiated by citizens in South Dakota,” Nesiba said. “We have to remember our state motto is, ‘Under God the People Rule.’”

Schweich also challenged the bill from a practicality standpoint by sharing concerns that petition gatherers would need to carry multiple versions of their petitions and clipboards for voters that may not live where they’re encountered. He also said the bill would make South Dakota’s petition process more vulnerable to outside influence, as smaller groups would be unable to financially support a statewide campaign that some out-of-state groups could still afford.

Rhoden echoed this in his letter to the State House.

“The additional burden of collecting signatures from each of the 35 senatorial districts, each on a separate petition sheet, risks creating a system where only those with substantial financial resources can effectively undertake a statewide petition drive. This undermines the bill’s intent by putting South Dakotans at a disadvantage to dark money out-of-state groups,” Rhoden wrote.

Other bills signed by Rhoden on Tuesday include:

SB 68: Requires an individual be a citizen of the United States before being eligible to vote and to provides a penalty therefor.
SB 73: Requires that an individual registering as a voter when applying for a driver’s license be a resident of the state for the purposes of voting.
SB 89: Repeals the requirement that judicial officers be listed on a separate nonpolitical ballot.
SB 91: Revises the requirements for a petition to initiate a measure or constitutional amendment or to refer a law.
SB 92: Requires that the director of the Legislative Research Council and the secretary of state review an initiated measure and determine if the measure embraces more than one subject.
SB 173: Revises the process by which a recount may be requested.
SB 185: Amends provisions pertaining to the process by which the qualifications of a registered voter are verified.
HB 1062: Amends provisions pertaining to the maintenance and publication of the statewide voter registration file.
HB 1066: Revises residency requirements for the purposes of voter registration.
HB 1126: Modifies provisions pertaining to the compensation of a recount board.
HB 1127: Requires that notice of a county’s canvass, post-election audit, and testing of automatic tabulating equipment be posted to the secretary of state’s website.
HB 1130: Provides permissible dates for municipal and school district elections.
HB 1164: Revises the process for nominating candidates for lieutenant governor.
HB 1184: Amends the deadline for filing a petition to initiate a measure or constitutional amendment.
HB 1256: Requires the inclusion of certain information on a candidate’s nominating petition or on a ballot question petition.
HB 1264: Requires the disclosure of an outstanding loan balance on a campaign finance disclosure report.

State House and Senate lawmakers will convene in Pierre on Monday. Both chambers will need a two-thirds majority of legislators to override Rhoden’s veto.

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South Dakota

28 SD school districts to receive literacy grant

Published

6 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

28 SD school districts to receive literacy grant

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Nearly 30 school districts in the state of South Dakota will receive the Elevating Literacy Across South Dakota (ELA-SD) grant from the South Dakota Department of Education. The purpose of the ELA-SD grants is to help create a comprehensive program to advance literary and pre-literary skills, reading and writing for […]

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South Dakota

Rep. Dusty Johnson backs Senator Rounds push for investigation into mail service in South Dakota

Published

18 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Rep. Dusty Johnson backs Senator Rounds push for investigation into mail service in South Dakota

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) -Congressman Dusty Johnson is backing Senator Mike Round’s push for an investigation in postal service delays in South Dakota.

Johnson took to social media saying Senator Mike Rounds was right to ask for an investigation into postal service delays in South Dakota. Rounds had previously sent a letter to the postal service’s inspector general asking for her to find the cause of mail delays in South Dakota. Rounds said in his letter he has heard from hundreds of constituents across South Dakota. Johnson opened up with KOTA Territory News about his support for the investigation.

“I think the postal service is a terrible disaster,” said Johnson.

Johnson noted that in the past the service did what he said was a pretty good job. Johnson says despite sending letters and making phone calls with the postal service, he has not gotten any answers.

“I have asked if I can come down to one of their facilities, get a tour so I can better understand what’s going on behind the walls. They have refused to even let me, a member of congress, come learn about how they conduct their business. And so, this appears to be an enterprise that A, is not improving, B, isn’t communicating why there, why there failing and C doesn’t even appear to be particularly interested in getting better,” explained Johnson.

Rounds has pointed to the problem as being that mail traveling across or into South Dakota taking indirect routes. Rounds previously took a meeting with the postmaster general however the senator appears not satisfied with the outcome.

Rounds wrote in part in his letter, “I expressed my concerns about this to the Postmaster General (PMG) Steiner who downplayed such issue existed in South Dakota.”

In a letter sent to Rounds in October, Postmaster General David Steiner said that fixing issues at central region plants in Chicago, St Louis and Kansas City will likely improve outcomes and that at the time it was something the USPS was actively working on. The postmaster general acknowledged poor performance for first class mail at the beginning of the year and mid-summer but noted that it has since improved. During the week ending September 19th for South Dakota’s postal district, about %93 percent of first-class mail was delivered on time and roughly %97 percent was delivered within one day of its expected arrival. The postmaster general said he wanted to focus on the %3 percent that’s not getting to its destination on time.

“It may be only a small percentage of the mail, but because we deliver hundreds of millions of pieces each day nationally, the raw number is large,” wrote Steiner.

Steiner emphasized that some mail in South Dakota has always left the state for processing before going to another part of the state. The postmaster general explained that some mail requires certain sorting equipment and therefor some mail travels to plants with the right equipment.

The postmaster general also maintained in his letter that mail going to and from the same area in South Dakota is not leaving the state.

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South Dakota

Best steakhouse in South Dakota? Top spots for premium cuts and sides

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Best steakhouse in South Dakota? Top spots for premium cuts and sides

Step inside a few of South Dakota’s most iconic steakhouses, where the baked potatoes are foil-wrapped and the wood-fired grill is crackling.

Don’t mess with South Dakota’s red meat.

With some of the best, high-quality cattle in the country raised right here in the Mt. Rushmore state, you’ll easily find a ribeye nearby.

But not all steaks are the same. We compared the cut, the prep and the presentation and narrowed down a few of our favorite steakhouses for our carnivores.

Hartford Steak Co. Tavern

The concept for a small and affordable menu began with a burger sold for a nickel by Diane Friese’s great-grandfather in the 1920s. A family tradition untouched over the decades, you can still buy a filet mignon for an easy $15 at the Hartford Steak Co. today. But that’s about it. The filets are sized up to 24 ounces, then there’s steak tips or a hot beef sandwich to choose from. All come with a crisp, cold lettuce wedge, baked potato, and warm French bread. On the weekends, they spice it up with a $20 prime rib dinner (meaning the filets are off the menu, only one choice for you). Order a margarita on the side and enjoy a no-fuss night.

The Hartford Steakhouse has a second location in Vermillion, South Dakota.

Details: 709 N. Mundt Ave., Hartford, S.D., 605-528-6185, hartfordsteakcotavern.com.

Morrie’s Steakhouse

It’s giving Old Hollywood glam, some soft jazz and extravagance. Namesake Morrie Richards was a humble farmer from Ipswich, South Dakota, but Mama taught the family hospitality, and now the steakhouse is an experience for families and business diners. Steak is the star, but what comes with it elevates the night. Shared sides include loaded hash browns or smoked pork mac, and steak accompaniments include a 75-day-old cave-aged blue cheese slab or a three-day veal demi-glaze. Morrie’s honors community ranchers as well, bringing to the table local grass-fed butcher cuts and bone-in Tomahawk wagyu ribeyes.

Details: 2507 S. Shirley Ave., Sioux Falls, S.D., 605-362-8125, morriessteakhouse.com.

Mad Mary’s

Along the Big Sioux River in South Dakota is Mad Mary’s Steakhouse, a classic mom-and-pop in Flandreau, South Dakota, that’s been attracting hunters for more than 30 years. It’s changed hands a few times, but has been led now by Christina Ramos since 2018, who served at Mad Mary’s for more than a decade. She’s got a “secret seasoning” in the kitchen for her prime rib and sirloins, but come for the Butcher’s Trio to try it all: a plate of beef, chicken and pork served with a twice-baked potato and buttered toast for $50.

Mad Mary’s has a second location in Pierre, South Dakota, under different ownership, where you get a free T-shirt if you order a margarita. Size up after all that hearty South Dakota beef.

Details: 306 N. Veterans St., Flandreau, S.D., 605-997-9901, madmaryssteakhouse.com.

Ironwood Steakhouse

A bespoke contemporary experience in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the Minneapolis-based restaurateurs of Ironwood Steakhouse bring to town their crisp white linens, sparkly chandeliers and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Big Sioux River and Falls Park.

The maître d wears a suit and tie, so maybe you should, too.

The two-story, upscale supper club brings in its prime-aged beef from Snake River Farms in Idaho and cooks over coals for that unmistakable sear. Try the eight-ounce wagyu Zabuton, steak tartare or the steak Diane: an eight-ounce teres major cut with mushroom cream sauce.

Then return for their mushroom pierogis, rabbit stroganoff or even just an espresso martini at the bar, served with your own picture printed atop the foam.

A toast to our steak victors.

Details: 150 E. Fourth Place, Sioux Falls, S.D., 605-937-0280, ironwoodsf.com.

Delmonico Grill

Another for the upscale diners, Delmonico Grill in Rapid City, South Dakota, has been serving its in-house, dry-aged “Kona” Hawaiian style ribeye for nearly 20 years. It’s classic steakhouse fare in a comfortable atmosphere: Choose from intimate booths or red velvet benches, with a view of downtown Main Street always abuzz.

Details: 609 Main St., Rapid City, S.D., 605-791-1664, delmonicogrill.com.

Did we miss your favorite steakhouse? Drop us a line at ageorge@usatodayco.com with details.

Angela George is the trending news reporter for the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, part of the USA TODAY Co. network. Email ageorge@usatodayco.com.

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