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revise certain provisions regarding public access to voter registration data.

This bill restricts public access to voter registration data by prohibiting the release of driver license numbers (in addition to the already-prohibited social security numbers) and limiting access to only the year of birth rather than the full date of birth. The master registration file remains open to public inspection during office hours, but people can no longer view voters' driver license numbers, social security numbers, or the day and month of their birth.

revise certain provisions regarding the voting rights of felony offenders.

This bill changes how South Dakota removes people from voter registration lists by requiring automatic removal of anyone currently incarcerated for a felony conviction, rather than allowing county auditors to decide whether to remove them. The bill also clarifies that the state must match voter registration records against felony conviction records maintained by the court system to identify and remove ineligible voters.

revise the documentation required for voter registration.

This bill updates South Dakota's voter registration requirements to clarify what documents voters must provide when signing up to vote. Voters now need to submit either their South Dakota driver's license or ID number, or the last four digits of their Social Security number, with a special exception allowing those without any of these documents to register only at the county auditor's office after signing a verification statement. The bill also updates the language to use gender-neutral terms throughout.

provide for the postponement of certain elections and to declare an emergency.

HB1298 allows South Dakota to postpone certain elections due to emergency circumstances, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill declares an emergency to enable election officials to delay voting when public health or other crises make holding elections unsafe or impractical.

limit the disclosure of presidential election results and to provide for a suspension of such disclosure.

South Dakota officials would be prohibited from publicly disclosing the total number of votes cast for each presidential candidate in the general election until after all states have completed their electoral voting (typically in December). However, the Secretary of State could still release the winner of the election and the percentage breakdown of votes for each candidate rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent. This delays full vote disclosure for presidential races while allowing partial results and the election outcome to be announced immediately.

revise certain provisions regarding the submission process for ballot measures.

This bill requires sponsors of ballot measures to submit their proposed initiatives to the Legislative Research Council for review at least six months before they can start collecting signatures, ensuring the measures meet legal requirements and don't have unintended fiscal impacts on the state. The bill clarifies that the Research Council director has up to fifteen workdays to provide written comments back to sponsors, the attorney general, and secretary of state to help them fix any problems with their proposals.

Supporting the Electoral College.

HCR 6003 is a concurrent resolution expressing South Dakota's support for the Electoral College system in presidential elections. The resolution repeals two existing state law sections (§2-5-2 and §2-5-3), which previously governed how South Dakota's electoral votes were allocated or cast.

revise certain requirements for absentee ballots and to declare an emergency.

During a public health crisis, voters can submit a personal identification affidavit instead of providing an oath or a copy of their ID card with their absentee ballot application. The affidavit requires voters to provide their name, address, date of birth, and a driver's license number, nondriver ID number, or last four digits of their Social Security number, signed under penalty of perjury. This temporary measure was set to expire on August 1, 2020.

revise provisions regarding legislative candidates.

SB 74 prevents candidates who lose in a primary election from running for the same legislative seat under a different political party's label in that same election year. For example, if someone loses the Republican primary for state Senate, they cannot run for that same seat as a Democratic nominee in the general election.

provide for voter registration through an online voter registration system provided by the Office of the Secretary of State.

South Dakota will create an online voter registration system run by the Secretary of State that allows eligible voters with a valid state driver's license or ID card to register to vote online. This adds a new registration method alongside existing options like registering in person at county auditor offices, driver's license locations, and social service agencies. The change makes voter registration more convenient while county auditors continue to maintain and oversee all voter registration records.

require that school district elections occur in conjunction with the general election.

# HB 1177 Summary School districts must now hold their elections on the same day as the general election in November, rather than at separate times during the year. This change consolidates when South Dakotans vote on school board candidates and funding measures with statewide and federal elections.

repeal and revise certain provisions regarding the petition circulation process.

SB 180 revises the rules for how people can circulate petitions in South Dakota by amending the petition circulation process requirements in state law. The bill makes changes to §10-56-22, though the specific details of those changes are not fully visible in the provided text excerpt. To give you a complete summary of what petition rules are being changed, I would need to see the full text of the bill's amendments.

revise certain provisions regarding a municipal office nominating petition.

This bill removes the requirement that a nominating petition must meet all statutory requirements before the finance officer can accept it, instead allowing the officer to verify only that the petition has the minimum number of valid voter signatures and that the candidate is a registered voter. The change streamlines the nomination process by focusing verification on these key eligibility factors rather than requiring a broader compliance check.

establish a maximum on the number of words contained in a statement of a proponent or opponent for the ballot question pamphlet.

HB1049 sets a maximum word limit on statements from people supporting or opposing ballot measures that appear in South Dakota's official voter pamphlet. This change prevents lengthy arguments from taking up excessive space in the pamphlet, ensuring more balanced presentation of multiple viewpoints to voters.

revise the signature requirements for the nominating petitions for certain elected offices.

SB 183 changes the rules for how many signatures candidates need to collect on nominating petitions when running for certain elected offices in South Dakota. The bill modifies the current signature requirements found in state law, though the specific new numbers or affected offices are not fully detailed in the provided excerpt.

revise certain provisions regarding the dates on which certain school district elections may be held.

HB1263 changes the dates when South Dakota school districts can hold elections by revising the rules in state law about election scheduling. The bill adjusts when these elections are allowed to take place, giving school districts different timing options for conducting their voting events.