By Richard Winger On March 20, South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard signed SB 69, which injures ballot access for newly-qualifying parties and independent candidates. The bill had passed the legislature on a party-line vote, with Republicans supporting the bill and Democrats opposing it.
The bill says members of qualified parties can no longer sign an independent candidate’s petition. No other state currently has such a requirement. Arizona passed this restriction in 1993, but it was declared unconstitutional in 1999.
The bill also moves the deadline for a newly-qualifying party from the last Tuesday in March to the first Tuesday in March. …read more
Source:: http://ballot-access.org/2015/03/20/south-dakota-governor-signs-bill-that-injures-ballot-access/