South Dakota Votes to Expand Medicaid, Eyes Turn to Abortion (2)

South Dakota became the latest Republican-controlled state to expand Medicaid by popular vote, underlining the success of efforts to rely on voters to sidestep partisan legislatures.

The ballot initiative won Tuesday with 56% of the vote, making South Dakota the seventh state to expand the low-income health program by ballot measure. The state will now add more than 40,000 Medicaid-eligible people after July 1, 2023.

Supporters say the success of the South Dakota vote could lay the groundwork for restoring the state’s abortion rights, which are among the most restrictive in the country. The result also put the focus on ...