South Dakota Amendment E was a proposed constitutional amendment that appeared on the ballot on November 5, 2024. The measure would have amended the text of the South Dakota Constitution to change male pronouns to gender-neutral pronouns. The measure was proposed and passed by the South Dakota Legislature in 2023 and was validated for the ballot on March 7, 2023. Four states, California, Hawaii, New York, and Vermont, already do not use any gendered pronouns in their state constitutions. It needed a majority approval to pass, but it received 42.62% (180,365) votes in favor of and 57.38% (242,866) against.

Text For example, this is how Article IV, Section 3 of the South Dakota Constitution would have been amended. Struck text would have been replaced with the underlined text. §3. The Governor shall be responsible for the faithful execution of the law. He The Governor may, by appropriate action or proceeding brought in the name of the state, enforce compliance with any constitutional or legislative mandate, or restrain violation of any constitutional or legislative power, duty or right by any officer, department or agency of the state or any of its civil divisions. This authority shall not authorize any action or proceedings against the Legislature.

He The Governor shall be commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the state, except when they shall be called into the service of the United States, and may call them out to execute the laws, to preserve order, to suppress insurrection or to repel invasion.

The Governor shall commission all officers of the state. He The Governor may at any time require information, in writing or otherwise, from the officers of any administrative department, office or agency upon any subject relating to the respective offices.

The Governor shall at the beginning of each session, and may at other times, give the Legislature information concerning the affairs of the state and recommend the measures he the Governor considers necessary.

The Governor may convene the Legislature or either house thereof alone in special session by a proclamation stating the purposes of the session, and only business encompassed by such purposes shall be transacted.

Whenever a vacancy occurs in any office and no provision is made by the Constitution or laws for filling such vacancy, the Governor shall have the power to fill such vacancy by appointment.

The Governor may, except as to convictions on impeachment, grant pardons, commutations, and reprieves, and may suspend and remit fines and forfeitures.

Endorsements

Results

By county CountyNoYesMarginTotal#%#%#% Aurora1,04075.25%34224.75%69850.51%1,382 Beadle4,32662.24%2,62437.76%1,70224.49%6,950 Bennett68765.12%36834.88%31930.24%1,055 Bon Homme2,05268.95%92431.05%1,12837.90%2,976 Brookings7,74952.24%7,08547.76%6644.48%14,834 Brown9,72857.94%7,06142.06%2,66715.89%16,789 Brule1,65068.32%76531.68%88536.65%2,415 Buffalo28763.92%16236.08%12527.84%449 Butte3,52570.33%1,48729.67%2,03840.66%5,012 Campbell55968.25%26031.75%29936.51%819 Charles Mix2,44568.16%1,14231.84%1,30336.33%3,587 Clark1,22067.93%57632.07%64435.86%1,796 Clay2,58645.95%3,04254.05%−456−8.10%5,628 Codington8,11061.56%5,06438.44%3,04623.12%13,174 Corson69461.74%43038.26%26423.49%1,124 Custer3,76763.54%2,16236.46%1,60527.07%5,929 Davison5,49960.80%3,54539.20%1,95421.61%9,044 Day1,77261.68%1,10138.32%67123.36%2,873 Deuel1,51466.84%75133.16%76333.69%2,265 Dewey1,01754.94%83445.06%1839.89%1,851 Douglas1,32080.68%31619.32%1,00461.37%1,636 Edmunds1,45171.87%56828.13%88343.73%2,019 Fall River2,78265.77%1,44834.23%1,33431.54%4,230 Faulk78971.34%31728.66%47241.68%1,106 Grant2,38466.70%1,19033.30%1,19433.41%3,574 Gregory1,70275.71%54624.29%1,15651.42%2,248 Haakon88279.25%23120.75%65158.49%1,113 Hamlin2,24070.44%94029.56%1,30040.88%3,180 Hand1,20368.90%54331.10%66037.80%1,746 Hanson1,34366.95%66333.05%68033.90%2,006 Harding70286.56%10913.44%59373.12%811 Hughes4,57354.09%3,88245.91%6918.17%8,455 Hutchinson2,45266.58%1,23133.42%1,22133.15%3,683 Hyde48069.06%21530.94%26538.13%695 Jackson80271.29%32328.71%47942.58%1,125 Jerauld67468.85%30531.15%36937.69%979 Jones42677.74%12222.26%30455.47%548 Kingsbury1,82765.70%95434.30%87331.39%2,781 Lake3,42858.55%2,42741.45%1,00117.10%5,855 Lawrence8,79057.70%6,44542.30%2,34515.39%15,235 Lincoln18,97052.77%16,97747.23%1,9935.54%35,947 Lyman96366.88%47733.13%48633.75%1,440 Marshall1,28361.07%81838.93%46522.13%2,101 McCook1,94764.47%1,07335.53%87428.94%3,020 McPherson91071.15%36928.85%54142.30%1,279 Meade9,45965.01%5,09134.99%4,36830.02%14,550 Mellette47064.38%26035.62%21028.77%730 Miner79569.61%34730.39%44839.23%1,142 Minnehaha46,15649.96%46,23150.04%−75−0.08%92,387 Moody1,99262.74%1,18337.26%80925.48%3,175 Oglala Lakota1,22240.92%1,76459.08%−542−18.15%2,986 Pennington30,43454.52%25,39145.48%5,0439.03%55,825 Perkins1,15573.01%42726.99%72846.02%1,582 Potter87868.38%40631.62%47236.76%1,284 Roberts2,35057.53%1,73542.47%61515.06%4,085 Sanborn82068.68%37431.32%44637.35%1,194 Spink2,06666.39%1,04633.61%1,02032.78%3,112 Stanley1,06962.48%64237.52%42724.96%1,711 Sully62769.59%27430.41%35339.18%901 Todd91743.58%1,18756.42%−270−12.83%2,104 Tripp1,93272.91%71827.09%1,21445.81%2,650 Turner3,07168.03%1,44331.97%1,62836.07%4,514 Union4,91756.58%3,77343.42%1,14413.16%8,690 Walworth1,60266.89%79333.11%80933.78%2,395 Yankton5,92955.57%4,74044.43%1,18911.14%10,669 Ziebach45558.26%32641.74%12916.52%781Totals242,86657.38%180,36542.62%62,50114.77%423,231

See also 2024 South Dakota Amendment H 2024 South Dakota Amendment G 2024 United States ballot measures

References