SB171 changes how South Dakota counties handle absentee ballots by requiring election officials to deliver lists of absentee voters to each precinct and update those lists throughout election day, and it adds new procedures for verifying absentee ballot envelopes. The bill also repeals one outdated absentee ballot statute and modifies several others to streamline the processing and counting of absentee ballots at the precinct level.
The amendment removes a requirement that absentee ballots from precincts with ten or fewer voters must be forwarded to a centralized absentee ballot precinct for counting, instead allowing the election official to decide whether to centralize such ballots. This NARROWS the bill's original mandate for centralized absentee ballot processing by making it more discretionary.
This amendment makes technical and clarifying edits to absentee ballot processing procedures, including removing language that created exceptions to ballot comparisons for combined application/return forms, changing "county may create" to "person in charge of the election may create" an absentee ballot precinct, and simplifying pronoun usage and punctuation throughout. The changes NARROW the bill's scope by removing an exception and slightly REDIRECT authority from counties to election officials while maintaining the core emergency declaration regarding absentee ballot processing.
Signed by the Governor S.J. 550
Delivered to the Governor S.J. 539
Signed by the Speaker H.J. 560
Signed by the President S.J. 525
Senate Concurred in amendments Passed, YEAS 32, NAYS 2. S.J. 511
House of Representatives Do Pass Amended Passed, YEAS 56, NAYS 11. H.J. 526
State Affairs Do Pass Amended Passed, YEAS 11, NAYS 0.
State Affairs Motion to amend
State Affairs Scheduled for hearing
House of Representatives Referred to House State Affairs H.J. 262
First Reading House H.J. 247
Senate Do Pass Passed, YEAS 32, NAYS 2. S.J. 201
State Affairs Do Pass Passed, YEAS 9, NAYS 0. S.J. 15
State Affairs Scheduled for hearing
First read in Senate and referred to Senate State Affairs S.J. 141
Prime sponsor · Rep.
R
Prime sponsor · Sen.
R
Concurred in amendments
Do Pass Amended
State Affairs — Do Pass Amended
Do Pass
State Affairs — Do Pass