On March 1, the South Dakota Attorney General ruled that candidates who are seeking to place themselves on the primary ballot of a party that is not yet qualified may circulate such candidate primary petitions, even before that party has qualified. South Dakota has very difficult petition requirements for members of small parties to get themselves on their own party’s primary ballot. Candidates for Governor, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House need 250 signatures of party members. This is not easy if the party only has, for example, 500 registered members.

South Dakota primary candidate petitions circulate between January 1 and the last Tuesday of March. The March 1 ruling means that candidates who want to be on the primary ballot can start those difficult 250-signature petitions on January 1, whether their party has become qualified at that time or not. Thanks to Stephen Pevar for this news.