South Dakota is deciding whether to protect abortion rights and legalize recreational marijuana

In South Dakota, Democrats allowed voters without political affiliation to participate in their June primaries, but Republicans did not. The election initiative would amend the state constitution to end partisan primaries by allowing all candidates for office to run at the same time in what is sometimes called a “jungle primary.”

Supporters of the change argue that it would make elections more reflective of voters’ wishes and allow 155,000 voters without any party affiliation to vote for their favorite candidates in a primary.

But leaders from both major political parties have criticized the proposal, arguing that candidates from the smaller Libertarian and No Labels parties are unlikely to ever appear on the general election ballot.

In a state where the Republican Party controls nearly 90% of the seats in the legislature, it is likely that in many places all the candidates for the general election would be Republicans. Meanwhile, a broader electorate could help more moderate Republican candidates at the expense of the more conservative candidates favored by party leaders.

Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas.