South Dakota held its general election on November 6, 2012, deciding 105 legislative seats across 72 districts. No chamber changed party control.
Highlights
- Republicans kept supermajorities in both chambers on the new post-census maps, 28-7 in the Senate and 53-17 in the House, but voters handed Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R) a defeat on his education overhaul.
- Voters rejected Referred Law 16, Daugaard's education reform law, by about two to one. It would have created teacher merit and math-and-science bonuses, set a uniform evaluation system, and ended state teacher-tenure requirements. They also turned down Referred Law 14, a large project development fund, and Initiated Measure 15, a sales tax increase for K-12 schools and Medicaid.
- Of the 7 measures, voters approved 2: Amendment P, adding balanced budget requirements to the constitution, and Amendment O, changing distributions from the cement plant trust fund. They rejected Amendment M, on corporation provisions, and Amendment N, which would have repealed limits on legislators' travel reimbursement.
- In all, four Republican legislators lost in November:
- Chuck Welke (D) beat Sen. Art Fryslie (R), who had represented the old District 6, by about 300 votes in Senate District 2.
- Larry Lucas (D) beat Sen. Kent Juhnke (R) by about 6 points in Senate District 26.
- Rep. Bob Deelstra (R) finished third in two-seat House District 9, 82 votes behind Paula Hawks (D).
- Rep. Dave Scott (R) finished third in two-seat House District 21, about 250 votes behind Lee Qualm (R), as former Sen. Julie Bartling (D) led the field.
Legislature
- House (70 seats): 19 D, 50 R, 1 other or vacant before the election, 17 D, 53 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
- Senate (35 seats): 5 D, 30 R before the election, 7 D, 28 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
Legislative races
Ballot measures
| Measure | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Constitutional Amendment M | Deals with modernizing language dealing with corporations in the state. | Failed (29.6% yes) |
| Constitutional Amendment N | Strikes a travel reimbursement provision from the state constitution. | Failed (36.82% yes) |
| Constitutional Amendment O | Changes amount taken each year from state cement-plant trust fund. | Passed (56.76% yes) |
| Constitutional Amendment P | Places language in the state constitution saying that the budget must be balanced. | Passed (64.6% yes) |
| Initiated Measure 15 | Implements a one-percent sales tax increase. | Failed (43.27% yes) |
| Referred Law 14 | Dedicates part of tax revenues for grants to some business projects in the state. | Failed (42.36% yes) |
| Referred Law 16 | Blocks a bill that would ban tenure and give bonuses to top teachers among other provisions. | Failed (32.77% yes) |