(C) South Dakota Searchlight
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Pronoun changes for South Dakota constitution fail to win voter support • South Dakota Searchlight [1]
['Seth Tupper', 'Makenzie Huber', 'Ashley Murray', 'Jacob Fischler', 'John Hult', 'More From Author', '- November', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus']
Date: 2024-11
A proposal to replace male-specific references in the South Dakota Constitution with neutral words and phrases was losing in unofficial election results Wednesday.
The tally was 57% against Amendment E and 43% in favor at 4 p.m. Central time Wednesday, with about 95% of statewide precincts fully reported.
The amendment would replace male pronouns in the constitution, such as “he,” “him” and “his,” with neutral words and phrases such as “the governor,” “the lieutenant governor,” “the officer,” “the elector,” “the accused,” and so on. The male-specific references have been in the constitution since statehood 135 years ago.
Amendments to the constitution require voter approval. Legislators voted last year to put the amendment on this year’s ballot. Supporters said it was time to update language in the constitution to acknowledge the presence and contributions of women in state government. Opponents said the existing language is historical and does not preclude women from holding office.
Similar legislation last year changed male pronouns to neutral words and phrases in the state’s codified laws, which are not part of the constitution and don’t require voter approval to amend. Lawmakers approved that legislation by wide margins, and Republican Kristi Noem — the state’s first female governor — signed it into law.
At the polls Tuesday in Sioux Falls, Jessica Aguilar said she supported the amendment.
“To me, it’s a no brainer. We have females serving in our government. Changing the language should be fairly noncontroversial,” she said.
Jay Schmidt said he voted against Amendment E because he doesn’t see the need for it, since women already serve in elected offices.
Other voters viewed the amendment as an extension of the culture wars, including Lois Steensma, who said she voted against it.
“All of these gender things are starting to bother me,” she said. “I’m getting burned out on the gender issue.”
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