I could end up in jail on Election Day. Ever since graduating from college as a liberal arts major several decades ago, I’ve always asserted I’m equally ignorant in every academic area. But, after writing a few dozen books and several thousand newspaper and magazine articles, I always thought I could read. That is, until I tried to digest a sample ballot for next month’s general election in South Dakota. It took me nearly 20 minutes, and that was only to decipher the scaled-down version of the numerous and complicated measures on the Nov. 8 ballot. The problem is, according to South Dakota state statute 12-18-15, which carries the ominous heading, “Voting without delay — Maximum time in booth or machine — Re-entry prohibited,” by law I’ll only have 10 minutes to cast my ballot that Tuesday. Forget the contentious presidential election. Discount the congressional races. Disregard who is running for the state Legislature or the PUC. Those are easy decisions.
But South Dakota voters should be very afraid of the 10 constitutional amendments, referred laws and initiated measures facing South Dakota voters in this year’s general election. I know I am.
“The person voting shall cast his vote without delay,” the 1993 law commands. “No voter may occupy a voting booth or voting machine already occupied by another, nor occupy a voting booth or machine for more than 10 minutes.”
Thankfully, late last week South Dakota Secretary of State Shantel Krebs, the supreme arbiter of state elections, assured me that no one is going to jail if they take a little more time than usual to check their ballot boxes and return their tally to election officials in the convenient privacy sleeve in which it was presented.
Full Article: By state law, voters allowed only 10 minutes to vote on lengthy ballot measures | Local | rapidcityjournal.com.