The lawyer for South Dakota’s public higher-education system has released a review concluding that a measure on the November ballot could inhibit the activities of student organizations that receive public financing from universities, the Associated Press reported.

Initiative Measure 10, known as the South Dakota Open and Clean Government Act, would prohibit the use of public money or government resources for lobbying, campaigning, or other political purposes. Although the measure does not explicitly mention higher education, opponents say it could be interpreted to cover student organizations and campus employees.

“When you first read this initiative, I don’t think anybody could be against clean and open government,” said Alex Halbach, executive director of the South Dakota Student Federation, an organization of student governments. “But when you read into the text, it’s so much deeper than that and affects so many different areas.”

The measure could serve as a “gag law” against student groups, Mr. Halbach said, noting that student newspapers receiving money from their universities could not endorse local political candidates. David Owen, a spokesman for a group that opposes the measure, said it could be interpreted so that even the state’s Board of Regents could not lobby politicians on issues related to higher education.

Supporters of the initiative called the review by the university lawyer, James Shekleton, “the latest installment of the big-money, big-lie campaign” to block the measure. —Reeves Wiedeman