🗳️ Constitutional Amendment: Bringing the Core GRT Plan to the Ballot

🏛️ SEAL SD Outlines the Path to Tax Freedom

At SealSD.com, we’re working to make the Core GRT Plan—part of the Maximum Liberty Plan (Plan 2)—a reality by amending South Dakota’s Constitution. This plan replaces all state taxes with a single 5% Gross Receipts Tax (GRT), generating $3.6 billion and saving you $3,000–$5,000 annually by eliminating property taxes. To achieve this, we need to place the amendment on the November 2026 ballot, which requires collecting 35,017 signatures by May 5, 2026. This page explains the constitutional amendment process in South Dakota, our plan to get there, and why the people must have a mechanism to act when legislators fail, particularly on liberty-based issues like taxes, while ensuring frivolous amendments are prevented.

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📜 The Amendment Process: How We Get on the Ballot

South Dakota allows citizens to propose constitutional amendments through an initiated process, giving you the power to shape our state’s future:

• Signature Requirement: We need signatures from registered voters equal to 10% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. For the 2026 ballot, that’s 35,017 valid signatures, a threshold set by the South Dakota Secretary of State.
• Deadline: Signatures must be submitted by May 5, 2026, at least one year before the November 2026 general election.
• Circulation Period: We can collect signatures for up to one year, starting as early as November 3, 2025, after filing the petition with the Secretary of State.
• Our Plan: SEAL SD kicked off signature collection at the Liberty Forum on April 19, 2025, in Rapid City. We’re mobilizing volunteers state-wide—from Sioux Falls to the Black Hills—to gather signatures at community events, farmers’ markets, and door-to-door campaigns.

Analogy for Clarity: Getting on the ballot is like planning a big picnic—we need 35,017 picnic friends to RSVP by May 5, 2026, so we can host the picnic vote in November 2026. We’re setting up picnic tables across South Dakota to make sure everyone can join!

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🗳️ Voting on the Core GRT Plan: Your Voice Matters

Once we collect the signatures, the Core GRT Plan amendment will appear on the November 2026 general election ballot for South Dakotans to vote on:

• Voting Threshold: Currently, constitutional amendments need a simple majority (50% + 1) to pass. However, a 2025 legislative proposal (House Joint Resolution 5003) aims to raise this to 60%, which would apply to our 2026 vote if approved. This change, backed by Rep. John Hughes (R-Sioux Falls), seeks to protect the Constitution from outside interests but has sparked debate about limiting direct democracy.
• Our Goal: We’re aiming for a strong voter turnout to ensure the Core GRT Plan passes, whether the threshold is 50% or 60%. With your support, we’ll end property taxes for good.
• Impact: A “Yes” vote will replace all state taxes with the 5% GRT, saving you $3,000–$5,000 annually and securing tax freedom for South Dakota.

Analogy for Clarity: Voting on the amendment is like deciding if the picnic should be free—right now, we need half the picnic guests to say “Yes,” but some picnic planners want 60% to agree. Either way, your picnic vote can make it happen!

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📉 A Constitutional Republic, Not a Direct Democracy: Why This Matters

South Dakota operates as a constitutional republic, not a direct democracy, meaning we elect representatives to act on our behalf [sealsd.com/2025/03/02/ballot-initiatives-2/]. However, when our legislators fail to address critical liberty-based issues like taxes, the people must have a mechanism to correct that failure. The Core GRT Plan is a prime example—eliminating property taxes and replacing them with a 5% GRT is a liberty-based constitutional issue that protects your financial freedom and right to property. This isn’t about personal or frivolous issues like marijuana legalization, which can have societal downsides and often don’t address foundational rights. Liberty-based amendments like the Core GRT Plan are life-changing, ensuring you keep more of your hard-earned money without the burden of property taxes.

• Preventing Frivolous Amendments: The Legislature is right to set thresholds to prevent frivolous amendments that don’t serve the public good. Issues like marijuana legalization, while popular in some circles, can lead to societal harm—studies have linked increased marijuana use to higher rates of dependency and mental health issues, which can strain communities. The Core GRT Plan, by contrast, strengthens South Dakota by simplifying taxes and protecting your liberty.
• Holding Representatives Accountable: When representatives fail to act, the ballot initiative process empowers you to force their hand. This mechanism ensures that those who work for you—your elected officials—prioritize liberty-based issues like tax reform, which directly impact your daily life and economic freedom.

Analogy for Clarity: South Dakota’s picnic is run by picnic planners you chose, not by everyone voting on every picnic detail. But if the planners forget to make the picnic free, you can step in with a picnic petition to fix it—focusing on big picnic rules like free spots, not little things like what picnic snacks to serve, which might not help the picnic as much.

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📊 The Broader Context: Constitutional Amendments in 2025

South Dakota has a rich history of direct democracy, but 2025 has seen legislative efforts to make the ballot process more challenging:

• Recent Proposals: The South Dakota Legislature passed House Joint Resolution 5003, which will ask voters in November 2026 to raise the approval threshold for constitutional amendments to 60%. Supporters argue it protects the Constitution, while critics like the Voter Defense Association of South Dakota say it restricts citizens’ voices.
• Other Restrictions: In 2025, the Legislature proposed bills to shorten the signature collection window and require signatures from all 35 state senatorial districts, though some were vetoed or challenged. From 2018 to 2024, South Dakota passed 11 laws to make direct democracy harder, the most of any state.
• Our Perspective: SEAL SD believes in the power of South Dakotans to shape their future through liberty-based initiatives like the Core GRT Plan. We’re committed to meeting the 35,017-signature goal despite these challenges, ensuring your voice is heard on tax freedom while supporting efforts to prevent frivolous amendments.

Analogy for Clarity: The picnic planners are making it tougher to change the picnic rules—needing more picnic friends to agree and setting new picnic table rules. But we’re still setting up our picnic stand to make sure your picnic vote counts, focusing on the big picnic freedoms, not the small picnic snacks!

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💡 Why It Matters: Your Role in Tax Freedom

The constitutional amendment process is your chance to secure tax freedom for South Dakota through a liberty-based plan:

• Your Savings: Approving the Core GRT Plan means saving $3,000–$5,000 annually on property taxes, plus $200 per person in residency rebates.
• Community Impact: The $3.6 billion GRT funds schools ($960 million), local governments ($1.5 billion), and state services ($1.14 billion), with a $95.8 million surplus for projects, keeping South Dakota strong.
• Your Voice: By signing the petition and voting “Yes” in November 2026, you’re ensuring a fairer, simpler tax system for all South Dakotans, holding your representatives accountable for liberty-based priorities.

Analogy for Clarity: Your picnic RSVP and vote are the key to a free picnic—no more picnic spot fees, more picnic gift cards, and a picnic budget that keeps the picnic thriving for everyone, all while ensuring the picnic planners focus on the big picnic freedoms!

📂 Learn More

• 🌄 Our Vision for South Dakota
  The future we’re building — bold, free, and family-first.
• 📊 End Property Tax: GRT Plan
  How the 5% Gross Receipts Tax will replace property taxes — and why it works.
• 📈 Revenue Verification
  Ensuring every dollar is accounted for — transparency you can trust.
• 🛡️ Safeguards to Protect Homes
  No tricks, no traps — just locked-in protections you can count on.
• 🕵️ SD-DOGE: Our Government Watchdog
  Efficiency, oversight, and a watchdog that works for the people.
• 👉 Get the Facts
  Will Prices Go Up?: Debunk myths about price increases under the GRT.
• 🚜 Family Farms & Ranches
  How the GRT protects and empowers South Dakota’s agricultural backbone.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 For Our Kids’ Future
  Building a legacy of freedom and opportunity for the next generation.
• 🏛️ South Dakota First
  Prioritizing our people, our values, and our future — always.
• 🆕 What’s New?
  Stay updated on the latest developments and announcements.