Show notes
State Sen. Brent Hoffman (R-District 9) joins Dave Roetman to explain why South Dakota's term limits "really aren't term limits," and his petition for a constitutional amendment that would limit legislators to eight years in the House and eight years in the Senate.
Recorded in June 2023, when Hoffman was a first-term state senator from District 9.
Update (Oct. 2026): The term-limits amendment did not make the November 2024 ballot. It needed 35,017 valid signatures by May 7, 2024, and it was not among the petitions submitted by that deadline. Hoffman did not seek re-election in 2024 and left the Senate in January 2025.
Links
Sen. Brent "B.R." Hoffman, 2023 legislator profile: https://sdlegislature.gov/Legislators/Profile/4457/Detail
Brent Hoffman on Ballotpedia: https://ballotpedia.org/Brent_Hoffman
The proposed amendment (petition with Attorney General's explanation): https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/upcoming-elections/assets/2024%20BQ/2024CAPetitionTermLimits.pdf
Attorney General's release on the ballot explanation (May 25, 2023): https://atg.sd.gov/OurOffice/Media/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?id=2402
South Dakota State Legislature Term Limits Amendment (2024): https://ballotpedia.org/South_Dakota_State_Legislature_Term_Limits_Amendment_(2024)
History discussed
1992 Amendment A, the voter-passed term limits (approved 63.5%): https://ballotpedia.org/South_Dakota_Amendment_A,_Term_Limits_for_State_Congressional,_U.S._Congressional,_and_Executive_Offices_Measure_(1992)
2008 Amendment J, the Legislature's attempt to repeal term limits (rejected 75.7% to 24.3%): https://ballotpedia.org/South_Dakota_Amendment_J,_Repeal_Term_Limits_Measure_(2008)
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