South Dakota Location of County Seats Amendment (1902)

South Dakota Location of County Seats Amendment
Election date November 4, 1902
Topic Local government organization
Status Approved
Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature

South Dakota Location of County Seats Amendment was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in South Dakota on November 4, 1902. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported allowing a county seat to be changed by a two-thirds vote at a general election, or by a three-fifths vote if moving it to a railroad station, and prohibiting a change for another four years.

A "no" vote opposed allowing a county seat to be changed by a two-thirds vote at a general election, or by a three-fifths vote if moving it to a railroad station, and prohibiting a change for another four years.

Election results

South Dakota Location of County Seats Amendment
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		36,436	71.38%
No		14,612	28.62%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Location of County Seats Amendment was as follows:

“

Proposed amendment to the constitution of the State of South Dakota. "Whenever a majority of the legal voters of any organized county shall petition the board to change the location of the county seat, which has once been located by a majority vote, specifying the place to which it is to be changed, said board shall submit the same to the people of the said county at the next general election, and if the proposition to change the county seat be ratified by two-thirds of the votes cast at said election (except as herein after provided) then the county seat shall be changed, otherwise not: Provided, however, that in cases where the county seat is not located at a railroad station and it is proposed to remove the same to a railroad station, then the proposition to change the county seat may be ratified by three-fifths of the votes cast at said election upon the question of such removal and in such case if the proposition to change the county seat be ratified by three-fifths of the votes cast at said election upon the question of such removal then the county seat shall be changed, otherwise not. “A proposition to change the location of the county seat of any organized county shall not again be submitted before the expiration of four years.”

”

Path to the ballot

See also: Amending the South Dakota Constitution

A simple majority vote is required during one legislative session for the South Dakota State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 36 votes in the South Dakota House of Representatives and 18 votes in the South Dakota State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

See also

1902 Measures

• 1902 Measures
• Local government organization on the ballot
• 1902 legislative sessions

South Dakota

• South Dakota ballot measures
• South Dakota ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• South Dakota Political Almanac, 1890-2012 Ballot Measure Results