Opposite directions for Amendments E and F?

PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — South Dakota voters left little doubt on Tuesday about whether they want gender references removed from parts of the South Dakota Constitution and whether they want work required for some recipients of Medicaid healthcare services.

With 411 of 691 precincts reporting throughout the state, voters were rejecting the gender-reference changes in Amendment E, with 122,404 marking their ballots no, while 77,583 chose yes.

But they seemed to have a different opinion about Amendment F. It would require work or education for most of the adults who became eligible for Medicaid after voters two years ago expanded the income eligibility to 138% of the federal poverty level.

A majority of South Dakota voters on Tuesday seemed to favor adding the work requirement, with 110,066 voting yes and 89,090 voting no.

The Legislature had put both measures on the statewide ballot.

Republican Governor Kristi Noem, the state’s first female chief executive, had called at the start of her 2023 State of the State address for removing many of the gender references in the South Dakota Constitution. She noted that the constitution used “he” in many places, including the role of governor, and Republican Sen. Erin Tobin led the charge..

The result didn’t turn out the way that the governor and the senator had hoped.

“I would say that I am disappointed that voters did not see this as an opportunity to celebrate women,” Tobin told KELOLAND News on Tuesday night. “It appears we will again have the most women in the Legislature that we have had in history.

“I, personally, respect and appreciate all of the women that step away from their lives as mothers and grandmothers to serve the public,” Tobin continued. “It will truly be a disappointment to the young women who were at the Capitol on the day we signed this bill, but these girls will be tough just by growing up in South Dakota and that I am sure of.”

Governor Noem could go one-for-two, however, if the Medicaid work requirement ultimately passes. Her administration’s secretary of social services, Matt Althoff, testified in favor of it, and Republican lawmakers pushed it through.

A coalition of groups tried to block it and then formed the Vote “No” on Amendment F committee. They raised $469,500 and used the money for advertising that said being required to report would be too complicated. Tuesday’s result however suggested that might have been the wrong message.

“It’s common sense — if you want to qualify for Medicaid Expansion, you should work,” Noem stated in a message posted early Wednesday morning on social-media site X. “I’m proud of South Dakotans for making that decision tonight.”

Republican Rep. Tony Venhuizen was one of the prime sponsors seeking the work requirement. He remained cautious with his comments Tuesday night because, with no votes tallied yet from South Dakota’s second-largest population center of Pennington County, and roughly just 10,000 counted so far in Minnehaha County, the state’s most-populated area, there remained a possibility that F could ultimately lose.

“The results look promising, especially when all of the other measures seem to be failing,” Venhuizen told KELOLAND News Tuesday night. “South Dakotans believe in the value of work, and I’m gratified that so many supported this idea, even when we had no money to spend in support.”