South Dakota

South Dakota’s federal-only voter list grows to nearly 6,000, surprising some who are on it | Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight

South Dakota's list of "federal-only" voters has nearly quadrupled to 5,735 following new state laws requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship and strict physical residency verification for voter registration. Under the dual-track system, registrants who lack compliant identification—such as older driver's licenses predating citizenship indicators—or who utilize commercial mail-forwarding addresses are restricted to voting solely in congressional races, excluding them from state executive, legislative, and ballot initiative contests. Voting rights advocates and legal filings highlight that administrative implementation errors and insufficient voter notification have left many eligible citizens unaware of their restricted status ahead of the registration deadline, sparking an active federal lawsuit over state voter disenfranchisement. Read Article

South Dakota: Snowbirds allege poll workers changed them to federal voters without instruction to prove residency | Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight

A couple who spend winters in Arizona and the rest of the year in South Dakota said they were given a federal-only ballot and denied a state-local ballot when they tried to vote in person last week at the Minnehaha County administration building. Instead of retaining their Hartford home when they retired and started traveling south for the winter, Steve Nolte and Kelly Stewart sold their home four years ago, bought a recreational vehicle, and parked it year-round at a South Dakota lakeside resort. They use a mail-forwarding service in Sioux Falls, and they’re registered to vote in Minnehaha County. Since January, state law requires that anyone who lists only a mail forwarding address or post office box — without describing where they actually live — be registered as a federal-only voter when they register or request an absentee ballot. That means the person can only vote in federal contests such as presidential and congressional races — not other statewide, legislative, county, city or local races or ballot questions. The law was motivated partly by some legislators’ opposition to full-time RVers voting in local and state races. Read Article

South Dakota: New requirement for combined state, local elections brings dizzying array of ballot variations | Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight

A new South Dakota law intended to make voting easier is doing the opposite for some of the people running elections. The new law requires cities and schools to hold their elections with the statewide primary in June or the general election in November, rather than on separate dates. Lawmakers hope the change will increase turnout, but it has some county auditors producing a staggering number of ballot variations in the interest of voter convenience. Minnehaha County Auditor Leah Anderson told South Dakota Searchlight her office is printing 324 different types of ballots, known as ballot styles, ahead of the June election. Other county auditors reported a range from a dozen to more than 100. Read Article

South Dakota: Confusion emerges over new voter ID requirements | Alexander Rifaat/South Daskota News Watch

County auditors in South Dakota are, in certain cases, deciding how to implement new voter ID rules on their own due to uncertainty over guidelines issued by the state's secretary of state, as early and absentee voting for the primary election is well underway. Senate Bill 175, passed in the 2026 legislative session, requires new voters to provide proof of citizenship as part of the registration process. The bill was enacted with an emergency clause, which allows the regulations to take effect for the upcoming primary ballot on June 2. The secretary of state's website outlines various documents first-time registrants can provide as a photocopy to show proof of citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate. But confusion has emerged as to whether eligible South Dakota driver's licenses, which identify a person's citizenship status, can also be provided as a photocopy or have to be shown in person. Read Article

South Dakota: ‘Absolute chaos’: State, local officials disagree on path forward amid delay in early voting | Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight

County auditors and the state’s lead election official disagree about how to handle a delay of early and absentee voting for the June 2 primary election in South Dakota. Codington County Auditor Brenda Hanten told local media on Wednesday that the county would begin early and absentee voting on time by using sample ballots as the county waits for official ballots, under the guidance of South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson. Hanten walked back those plans on Thursday, telling South Dakota Searchlight she hadn’t yet discussed the plan with her state’s attorney when she made those comments. Codington County will not use sample ballots and will wait until official ballots are mailed. Read Article

New South Dakota law allows voters to challenge other voters’ citizenship | Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight

Voters in South Dakota will soon be able to challenge other voters’ citizenship.Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden signed legislation into law last week that authorizes challenges by individuals and election officials.“We do a lot of things right in South Dakota, and our election integrity is something to be admired and emulated by other states,” Rhoden said in a news release.The new law will not affect the June 2 primary election, because it won’t take effect until July 1, which is the regular effective date for new laws in the state.State law already allows challenges to a voter’s registration up to the 90th day before an election, if a person is suspected of lacking South Dakota residency, voting in another state or being registered to vote in another state. The new law adds citizenship as a justification for a challenge. Read Article

South Dakota Senate committee rejects on-demand ballot printing | Gracie Terrall/Keloland

A bill that would have allowed on-demand ballot printing for elections in South Dakota has died in the Senate State Affairs Committee. Senate Bill 28 would have allowed county auditors to purchase machines that print ballots on demand for Election Day. Supporters say the machines would cut back costs and time for printing bulk batches and having them shipped to precincts in a short amount of time. However, concerns over equipment malfunctions and tabulator machines potentially not being able to read the ballots correctly, led to a 7-1 vote against the bill. Read Article

South Dakota Legislative board approves rules for challenging voting rights based on residency, voting history | Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight

Legislators finalized rules this week allowing additional grounds for challenging a person’s right to vote in South Dakota. The rules, approved Tuesday by the Interim Rules Review Committee, are a result of Senate Bill 185, which was signed into law in March. It expanded the justifications for challenging voter rights to include claims that a registered voter has died, is not a legal resident of the state or has voted or registered in another state. Previously, state law allowed challenges based on a person’s identity, a felony conviction or mental incompetency. Those challenges are still allowed. Read Article

South Dakota election office publishes voter list labeling thousands as public assistance applicants | Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight

Thousands of South Dakotans have been publicly labeled as applicants for government assistance and thousands more have had their email address and phone number exposed, due to a new state law and the way the state’s election office is implementing it. Although the legislation creating the law received some Democratic votes, it’s a product of the Republican-dominated Legislature. Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden signed it into law and Republican Secretary of State Monae Johnson is carrying out its provisions. Several legislators, both Democrats and Republicans, are now telling South Dakota Searchlight they did not intend for the law to expose sensitive information — especially the identity of public assistance applicants. Read Article

South Dakota: Attempts to remove technology from elections lose in court after losing at the polls | Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight

Attempts to ban tabulating machines and other technology from elections have fared no better in South Dakota courts than they did in several county elections. Activists circulated petitions statewide last year that were meant to force counties to remove technology from elections by public vote. They said only hand-counting and other manual methods could ensure the integrity of elections, while election officials said voting machines and other forms of election technology have been repeatedly proven safe and effective. Three of the initiated ordinances went to a public vote in Gregory, Tripp and Haakon counties in June. Voters defeated all three. Read Article

South Dakota: Bill banning tabulator machines fails in Senate panel | Gracie Terrall/KELO

South Dakota will still continue to use tabulator machines for election counting. In a 5-4 vote, the Senate State Affairs Committee deferred Senate Bill 217 to the 41st Day, effectively killing it. If passed, the bill would have prohibited all South Dakota counties from using automatic tabulator machines or electronic ballot marking systems when counting ballots during an election. The bill would have also suspended post election audits for counties. Read Article

South Dakota: Hand counting errors muddle post-election audit in McPherson County | Stu Whitney/SD Newswatch

South Dakota’s most populous county, Minnehaha, was in the spotlight this week after its top election official ordered the county's post-election audit to consist of all 2024 primary ballots being counted by hand. But the debate over counting votes by hand vs. machines found a more decisive venue 250 miles away in McPherson County, on the state’s northeast edge bordering North Dakota, with a population of about 2,300. On June 13, citizen hand-counting boards were formed in the county seat of Leola, South Dakota, to conduct a post-election audit of 100% of the ballots from the June 4 primary, which had been tallied by machine tabulators on election day. Read Article

South Dakota: Minnehaha County auditor plans recount of two elections; commissioner calls timing ‘irresponsible’ | Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight

The top election official in South Dakota’s most-populated county continued to cast doubt Tuesday on past election results reported by the county, while explaining plans to recount the results of two elections by hand and saying 132 ballots rejected during the June 4 primary will remain omitted from the official count. Dozens of people crowded into a Minnehaha County Commission meeting in downtown Sioux Falls to hear County Auditor Leah Anderson’s comments. Anderson, a Republican elected in 2022, has associated with people who refuse to accept the results of the 2020 election. Last week, Anderson appeared in an online interview with election conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell, the CEO of the MyPillow company. Read Article

South Dakota voters reject machine-counting ban in all three counties where it was on the ballot | Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight

A majority of voters in three South Dakota counties showed their trust in the state’s current election system Tuesday as they rejected proposed bans on tabulator machines. The votes were in Gregory, Haakon and Tripp counties. Citizen groups petitioned the measures onto the ballots in an effort to ban vote-counting machines and force a switch to hand counting. Nearly 40% of registered voters turned out for the Gregory County primary election. Auditor Julie Bartling is confident the results reflect how all voters across the county would have voted. “They listened to the pros and cons, and I believe this vote shows they still have confidence in the tabulators and the work we do here in the auditor’s office,” Bartling said Tuesday night. “We’re a small county and we know each other. You just want people to have a sense they can have trust and confidence in me not only as an elected official, but as a neighbor and friend.” Read Article

South Dakota Board of Elections, Secretary of State reject hand count petitions | C.J. Keene/SDPB

The South Dakota Board of Elections is rejecting an effort to move the state back to hand-counted ballots. The move resulted in heated public comment during Wednesday's meeting, including calls for the Secretary of State to resign. After a 45-minute executive session, the board announced a major aim of the South Dakota Canvassing group was not proper. The group seeks to implement hand-counted ballots in response to mistrust of the electronic voting systems. Those petitions were submitted by Rick Weible. Clifton Katz, the board's legal counsel, explained the roadblock the group ran into. “In this case, Mr. Weible did not set forth an issue to be answered by the board," Katz said. "The petitioner instead wants the board to act by, among other items, issuing letters, decertifying ES&S Systems, and ordering the counties to suspend ES&S Express Vote system. Therefore, it is not appropriate to enter a declaratory ruling in this matter.” Read Article

South Dakota: Three counties will vote on banning ballot tabulator machines, requiring hand-counting | Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight

Three South Dakota counties will ask voters during the June 4 primary if they should ban the use of tabulator machines in future local elections. If the measures pass, the auditor’s offices in each county would have to hand-count ballots in the Nov. 5 general election and thereafter. The votes – in Gregory, Haakon and Tripp counties – were forced by citizen-initiated petitions at the county level. The auditors in each county are now working to educate their citizens on the election process, including the accuracy and safety of tabulators, and highlighting the potential financial consequences of hand-counting ballots. Read Article

South Dakota: Misinfo spawns attempts to ban electronic voting | Renee Ortiz/KELO

Petitions advocating for the option to hand-count ballots in South Dakota counties are circulating, yet many commissions, including the McPherson County Commission, are opting not to put the question on the ballot due to legal constraints. Despite concerns raised by some residents about the use of electronic tabulation devices, state and federal laws mandate their use to ensure accessibility for people with disabilities and to provide accurate and timely election results. Officials highlight the existing safeguards in place, such as post-election audits and the absence of internet connectivity in tabulating machines, to ensure the security and integrity of elections in South Dakota. Read Article

South Dakota: Election petitions seek a return to hand counting | C.J. Keene/SDPB

At a moment when public trust in elections is crucial, there are some people who want to ditch voting machines in favor of a return to hand counting ballots. A campaign in South Dakota aims to get signed petitions in front of local government officials. The current effort has real implications for the people who manage local elections. McPherson County auditor Lindley Howard is familiar with unsubstantiated complaints of voter fraud. She’s been called a “traitor” on one far-right commentary website. But this kind of rhetoric isn’t limited to the internet. Howard said on occasion she’s had people watching her as a result of her job. Read Article

South Dakota: Experts don’t want hand counted ballots | Stu Whitney/South Dakota News Watch

A survey conducted among 49 out of 66 county auditors in South Dakota revealed that the majority do not consider hand counting to be an efficient or effective method of tabulating votes. Concerns over human error and time consumption were cited, with many auditors expressing trust in the accuracy of tabulation machines. While some auditors acknowledged the role of hand counting in smaller elections, they deemed it impractical for larger-scale contests. Despite advocacy from grassroots organizations like South Dakota Canvassing for hand counting, support among county officials remains limited, with only a few counties opting for hand counting in the upcoming elections. Read Article

South Dakota: Petitions circulate in at least 18 counties to eliminate vote tabulators and require hand counting | Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight

South Dakotans advocating for enhanced election security are mobilizing efforts to mandate hand-counting of ballots in the upcoming general election, with petitions circulated in multiple counties. State law permits citizens to petition for proposed laws to be voted on publicly, requiring signatures from 5% of registered voters in a jurisdiction; some completed petitions have already been submitted in Lawrence and McPherson counties. The movement, led by the South Dakota Canvassing Group, seeks to overhaul election procedures in response to concerns raised since the 2020 election, particularly regarding the security of electronic tabulators. However, legal experts and lawmakers are scrutinizing these petitions for potential violations of state and federal laws, including disability rights provisions, prompting legislative action to allow authorities to reject petitions deemed illegal. Read Article

South Dakota: Hand counting-voting machines debate rages | Stu Whitney/South Dakota News Watch

A survey involving 49 out of the state's 66 county auditors revealed that nearly 90% of respondents do not consider hand counting an effective and efficient method of tabulating ballots due to increased chances of human error and time consumption, with many expressing trust in current tabulation machines. Despite a state law mandating post-election audits using hand counts, some auditors advocate for hand counting only in smaller elections, while others, like Minnehaha County Auditor Leah Anderson, support hand counting with proper training and resources. Read Article

South Dakota: Minnehaha County auditor responds to criticism of her comments on county’s voting system | Trevor J. Mitchell/Sioux Falls Argus Leader

Minnehaha County Auditor Leah Anderson responded to criticism from South Dakota Democrats regarding her comments on the county's election systems, stating that her goal is to ensure accurate, accessible, and secure elections. Anderson recently criticized the state's voting equipment vendoor ES&S on a conference call, claiming they weren’t providing proper training and expressing mistrust in the voting systems. Anderson also raised concerns about ES&S machines that “flipped votes” in Northampton County Pennsylvania - although those machines were ExpressVote XLs, which are not used in South Dakota. Read Article

South Dakota: Former small-town mayor is behind the rise of electoral activism in the state. He’s just getting started. | Stu Whitney/South Dakota News Watch

Rick Weible, a prominent election denier in the Midwest, played a significant role in South Dakota's 2022 race for secretary of state by supporting Monae Johnson, a nominee who publicly expressed doubts about the validity of the 2020 election. Weible, a former small-town mayor and Republican Party operative, initially considered running but backed Johnson, viewing her as a candidate who could help reform the system. However, Weible later discovered problems with Johnson's campaign, alleging it was a "complete fraud." Despite this, Johnson won with 61% of the vote, supported by far-right delegates. Weible's influence in the state's electoral activism, driven by unfounded allegations of rigged voting systems, has contributed to a movement demanding transparency and reforms in South Dakota's election processes. The state has responded with legislation banning drop boxes and addressing voter-roll updates, residency requirements, post-election audits, and testing of tabulation equipment, reflecting a broader trend in rural Republican states to restrict voting access. Weible, now a vocal advocate for election reforms, benefits from the supportive political environment in South Dakota. Read Article

South Dakota: Minnehaha County auditor might want to hand count election ballots | Annie Todd/Sioux Falls Argus Leader

During a routine approval for an election systems agreement in Minnehaha County, a debate arose regarding the future of voting in Sioux Falls. County Auditor Leah Anderson suggested the possibility of hand counting ballots in upcoming elections, expressing a preference for combining random hand counts at precinct levels with tabulators to ensure caution in using election technology. She referenced a state statute allowing county commissions to decide how elections are conducted, including the use of automatic tabulation or electronic ballot marking systems. Read Article

Most South Dakota county auditors disagree with election drop box ban | Stu Whitney/South Dakota News Watch

When the question of using election drop boxes for South Dakota early voting was raised in a House State Affairs committee hearing in Pierre in early February, the discussion took on an ominous tone, mirroring national rhetoric over the integrity of American elections. “It’s simply too easy for bad actors to abuse these drop-off sites to dump unauthorized ballots illegally,” said Republican Rep. Kirk Chaffee of Whitewood. He was the prime sponsor of House Bill 1165, which modified absentee voting rules and banned the use of unmonitored drop boxes in South Dakota. T.J. Nelson, a lobbyist for Opportunity Solutions Project, a conservative advocacy group that has pushed for restrictions to absentee voting in state legislatures, also issued warnings while working with legislators and county auditors to make it “easier to vote but harder to cheat,” a mantra used by supporters of early-voting reforms. Full Article: Most South Dakota county auditors disagree with election drop box ban - South Dakota News Watch

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem signs post-election audit, other election bills into law | Eric Mayer/KELO

On Wednesday morning, Gov. Kristi Noem announced she signed 12 election-related bills into law. More than 30 bills were listed under that category of “elections” by the South Dakota Legislative Research Council during this  Among the changes for upcoming elections are a creating post-election audit, a 30-day residency requirement for voter registration, public testing of tabulating equipment within 10 days of an election, allowing school boards to change term lengths to help joint elections as well as bans to absentee ballot drop boxes, ranked-choice voting and a penalty for public funds being used to influence an outcome of an election. Other bills clarify or update current law regarding the Secretary of State’s office requiring maintenance of voter rolls and the list of candidates. “South Dakota’s election laws are built with integrity. We have one of the best election systems in the nation,” Noem said in a news release. “With these laws, we will further strengthen our fantastic system and provide accountability for the future.” Full Article: Gov. Kristi Noem signs post-election audit, other election bills into law

South Dakota Senate wants post-election audits | Bob Mercer/KELO

South Dakota counties would be required to conduct post-election audits of ballot-counting machines under a plan moving ahead in the Legislature.State senators voted 34-0 on Monday for SB-160. The bill now heads to the House of Representatives where the lead sponsor is Republican Rep. Drew Peterson. Republican Sen. David Wheeler said state government will pay counties for the cost of the audits. He said South Dakota is one of the few states where post-election audits aren’t done. “It’s appropriate for us to do a spot-check, and that’s what this would do,” said Wheeler, the bill’s prime sponsor. Counties would check the two statewide contests that are closest in outcome each election. “So people can have confidence the machines are counting correctly,” Wheeler said. Secretary of State Monae Johnson’s office testified in “soft” opposition during the Senate committee hearing, according to Wheeler. She plans to conduct a study this summer. One of the points she ran on last year was the need for post-election audits. Source: Senate wants post-election audits for South Dakota

South Dakota: Tabulator catches human error in Tripp County post-election audit | Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight

The case of Tripp County’s 75 “missing” ballots has been solved, County Auditor Barb Desersa said this week. The discrepancy emerged last week after a hand count of ballots in the only county in South Dakota in nearly 20 years to perform one. The mismatch does not have any impact on election results. Tripp County officials were prepared to ask for a court order to reopen a ballot box to find the answer, but the question was resolved without one. The human error explanation for the mismatch, it turned out, was right there in the records from the vote tabulator – the machine that county commissioners had ordered Desersa not to use to tally the county’s official, reportable Election Day results. A Thursday vote canvas revealed a discrepancy in a single precinct between the number of official, completed ballots recorded in the poll book and the number of audited ballots in one precinct. Several races had to be recounted by Tripp County’s volunteer counting boards – sometimes three or four times on election night. The last precinct to come in, Colome, had mismatched numbers according to the tabulator audit the next day. Desersa ran the audit to prove to her county commissioners and residents that the machine was accurate. The mismatched numbers prove the point, Desersa said Monday. Full Article: Tabulator catches human error in Tripp County post-election audit - South Dakota Searchlight

South Dakota: Tripp County to hand count election ballots | Eric Mayer and Rae Yost/KELO

Tripp County Commissioner Joyce Kartak made the motion and Dan Forgey seconded the motion to hand count the ballots. The motion came after an hour and 45 minute discussion was held on the concerns of the elections and the machine used to count the ballots, according to minutes from the Tripp County Commission. “It actually surprised me,” DeSarsa said of being able to find enough volunteers to help hand count the votes. “It wasn’t terrible.” The votes will counted by hand at the precinct sites, she said. “I thought that was the best way,” DeSarsa said. Roughly 80% of the site workers said they stay to help count votes, while others can’t stay to count, DeSarsa said. Given that, she needed eight to 10 additional volunteers. ... Tripp County will also be using the voting tabulation machine that night. “We were asked to do the machine count (too),” DeSersa said. The hand count will be the official count. Full Article: Tripp County to hand count election ballots

South Dakota: Lincoln County voter confusion delays talks of buying iPads for polls | Nicole Ki/Sioux Falls Argus Leader

Lincoln County commissioners have decided to delay discussions about adopting a new electronic poll-book system, following public outcry at Tuesday's meeting about last week's election. The new digital system would implement iPads at polling locations countywide to streamline the process of signing in voters through KnowInk, the nation's leading provider for digital poll books. "I'm actually appalled that you would bring up having poll pads after last Thursday's referendum election," said resident Karla Lems at the commissioner's meeting. "Some of the Sioux Falls polling places weren't changed, and not once were voters notified that they had a new polling place to go to." ... Adopting electronic poll books would increase efficiency at polling locations by cutting the time poll workers would spend manually going through voter registration information. "Usually, we sit there for 40 hours at least, and scan every barcode to update people's voter information," said Lund. "This would plug into the poll pad into the computer, and within 24 hours we would have the election [how many voters were there]."

Full Article: Lincoln County voter confusion delays talks of buying iPads for polls