An experienced Republican political operative is pushing a ballot measure to expand the rights of crime victims during court proceedings and criminal trials and enshrine those rights in the South Dakota Constitution.

Jason Glodt, who has worked on South Dakota political campaigns for two decades, said Wednesday that the amendment is necessary because crime victims in South Dakota deserve rights equal to offenders in the criminal justice system. Supporters of the measure must secure nearly 28,000 signatures by Nov. 9 to get the proposed amendment on the 2016 ballot.