Constitutional carry since 2019. No AWB, no mag limit, strong preemption. Stand-your-ground codified (2021). Suppressors legal. No waiting period, no red-flag law.

Medical cannabis (Measure 26, 2020). Recreational Measure 27 passed in 2020 but struck down by SD Supreme Court; Measure 29 (2024) failed. No decriminalization. Possession remains criminal. No psychedelic reform.

State minimum wage $11.85/hr. MIT living wage for 1 adult: $13.87/hr. Ratio 0.85 — minimum-wage workers earn 85% of what's needed to live there alone.

USNews #8 (top 10 first time in 2025), no state income tax, low overall tax burden, NAEP scores at/above national average, low uninsured rate. Lean government delivering solid outcomes — strong efficiency.

IJ grades SD C-. No QI reform. No-knock allowed. No body cam mandate. No comprehensive privacy law. Cooperates with ICE.

No-excuse absentee voting. Early voting via in-person absentee 46 days. No same-day registration. Non-strict ID. Felons vote after sentence completion including probation. Republican-drawn maps with significant Native American VRA issues. Polling closures on reservations. Mixed: good mail access offset by other restrictions.

Medicaid expansion adopted 2022 (by ballot, effective 2023). Total abortion ban with narrow exceptions (only life). Trans youth gender-affirming care ban (HB 1080). Severe rural and tribal healthcare gaps. Provider shortages acute.

No qualified immunity reform. No statewide BWC mandate. Personnel records confidential. SD Law Enforcement Standards & Training. No no-knock ban. No necessity standard. Local prosecution. No statewide chokehold ban. Per-capita killings well above median.

Total abortion ban (trigger law); voters rejected restoration in 2024. Gender-affirming care ban for minors. No LGBTQ+ protections. Anti-trans bathroom/pronoun laws. RFRA. No conversion therapy ban. Strong Christian-nationalist legislative trend.

Right-to-work state (constitutional). No paid family leave. No paid sick leave. Federal OSHA only. Prevailing wage limited. Weak wage theft enforcement. Above-median fatal injury rate. No heat, domestic worker, or scheduling protections.