South Dakota Smoking Ban Vote Fails

South Dakota Smoking Ban Vote Fails PIERRE (AP) — South Dakota Secretary of State Chris Nelson has rejected petitions calling for a statewide vote on the smoking ban because not enough valid signatures were submitted. He says the effort to challenge the law fell 221 signatures short — out of more than 25,000 submitted. Nelson says the attorney general is researching when the law will take effect, but either side can appeal the decision to a judge and eventually to the state Supreme Court. The Legislature this year passed a law expanding the smoking ban so it would outlaw smoking in bars and casinos. Opponents submitted petitions to put the issue on next year's election ballot but supporters challenged nearly 9,900 of the petition signatures as being invalid.