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require a forensic audit of election results after each presidential general election.

South Dakota would be required to conduct a forensic audit of presidential general election results every four years, with the audit completed by June 1 of the following year. The State Board of Elections can hire a third-party auditor with election forensic expertise to perform this work. The bill also adds forensic audits to the list of election procedures that the State Board of Elections can write rules about.

restrict the distribution of deceptive images or recordings with the intent to influence the outcome of an election.

South Dakota would create a new law making it illegal to distribute digitally manipulated images or videos of political candidates within 90 days before an election if done to damage their reputation or deceive voters, with exceptions for satire and parody. The restriction applies only to "materially deceptive media"—manipulated content realistic enough to fool a reasonable person into believing it shows the candidate's actual appearance or speech, but fundamentally different from the original. Anyone who knowingly or recklessly distributes such material could face legal penalties.

provide for certain requirements in the absentee ballot application process.

SB 123 makes three changes to how absentee ballot applications are distributed in South Dakota. First, it prohibits anyone from handing out pre-filled absentee ballot applications with a voter's name and address already on them (except for authorized ballot requesters and those assisting voters with disabilities). Second, it requires that only the official state ballot application can be distributed, and anyone else distributing applications must clearly identify themselves in writing and disclose that the application is not from the government and is not an actual ballot.

revise certain provisions regarding voter registration records.

This bill clarifies how South Dakota removes ineligible voters from registration lists by requiring the county auditor to cross-check voter records against death records from the Department of Health and felony conviction records from the court system. The bill also allows the State Board of Elections to create rules for how these record-matching checks should be conducted. This strengthens the process for keeping voter rolls accurate by automatically removing deceased people and those serving felony sentences.

update maintenance requirements for voter registration files.

South Dakota counties must now send notices to voters suspected of having moved and remove them from the voting rolls if they don't respond to confirm their current address. The bill also clarifies that county auditors must update voter registration files twice yearly (at least 60 days before general elections) and keep records of purged voters for 22 months.

prohibit private funding of election costs except for gifts of a nominal and intrinsic value.

This bill prohibits South Dakota counties and political subdivisions from accepting private donations or grants to pay for election costs, with a narrow exception for small gifts of minimal value as defined by the State Board of Elections. Previously, the law did not explicitly restrict private funding sources for elections. The State Board of Elections will create rules defining what counts as an acceptable "nominal and intrinsic value" gift.

protect the integrity and accuracy of voter registration information.

County auditors must now submit annual reports to the Secretary of State and State Board of Elections detailing how many voters were removed from registration lists and why (due to inactivity, death, felony conviction, mental incompetence, or relocation), with these reports made available to the public. The bill also clarifies that when voters update their registration due to a name change or move, their previous party affiliation carries over unless they explicitly choose a different one, while first-time voters who don't specify a party are automatically registered as independent.

Honoring the Mount Rushmore Rug Hookers' Social Club, a member of the national organization, Association of Traditional Hooking Artists.

This is a resolution that honors the Mount Rushmore Rug Hookers' Social Club, a local chapter of the national Association of Traditional Hooking Artists. The resolution does not change any state law—it is simply a formal recognition by the South Dakota Senate of this community organization.

clarify signature requirements on petitions regarding the change of form of government in municipalities.

HB 1275 clarifies the signature requirements that citizens must meet when submitting petitions to change how a South Dakota municipality is governed (such as switching from a mayor-council to a city manager system). The bill updates the technical rules for these petitions to make the signature rules clearer and more specific.

codify a joint committee for legislative redistricting.

This bill creates a permanent joint committee that will meet every ten years (starting in 2031) to help redraw state legislative district lines after the census. The committee will have 15 legislators—eight from one chamber and seven from the other, with the larger group alternating between the House and Senate each cycle—and will be co-chaired by one House and one Senate member with staff support from the Legislative Research Council.

require certain language for the oath or affirmation for civil office.

This bill requires people taking civil office in South Dakota to use oath or affirmation language that closely matches the specific wording in the state constitution for their particular office, rather than using generic language. The bill also updates pronouns and references from "his" to "the person" or "his the person's" to be more inclusive. These changes ensure consistency between the oath taken and the constitutional requirements for each office.

prohibit contributions from federal campaign committees.

South Dakota candidates for statewide office are currently allowed to accept unlimited contributions from other campaign committees, but this bill prohibits them from accepting money from federal candidate campaign committees. The change makes violations of this new prohibition a Class 2 misdemeanor, or a Class 1 misdemeanor if it happens again in the same year.

modify certain provisions related to elections for sparse school districts.

This bill makes two changes to school district election rules. First, it requires school boards to maintain at least as many polling places for school elections as the county designates for general elections, preventing schools from reducing voting locations. Second, it clarifies that decisions on school capital projects must be approved by 60% of voters if a referendum is triggered.

provide for an electronic system to update voter registration information.

South Dakota will create an online system allowing voters to update their registration information electronically instead of submitting paper forms. Registered voters with a valid South Dakota driver's license or ID card can use this system to change details like their address, phone number, email, name, or party affiliation. The system will verify the voter's identity and require them to sign a sworn statement confirming they are already registered and authorizing the update.

modify legal and official notice publication requirements.

This bill requires newspapers publishing legal notices to also post those notices on a statewide website maintained by a newspaper association, and to include a link to that website on their own website or make notices freely accessible online. It also updates the rules for what qualifies as a "legal newspaper" by allowing publications distributed in electronic format to count toward the distribution requirements, not just printed copies.

provide for the security and privacy of certain personally identifiable information for judicial officers and to declare an emergency.

This bill protects the personal contact information of circuit court judges and state Supreme Court justices by keeping their home addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses private in financial disclosure forms, though their county of residence remains public. The bill also extends similar privacy protections to voter registration records for these judicial officers. These changes are declared an emergency, meaning they take effect immediately rather than waiting until the standard law implementation date.

establish fees for information provided from the statewide voter registration file.

South Dakota will begin charging fees for access to voter registration information from the statewide voter file, with costs ranging from $10 to $1,250 depending on the scope and size of the data requested. For example, a complete statewide file costs $1,250, while legislative district files cost $50, and smaller county or partial files scale from $10 to $125 based on the number of names included. This law creates a new revenue stream for providing voter data to political parties, campaigns, and other requestors.

modify the date for the state's presidential primary elections.

This bill moves South Dakota's presidential primary election from June to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March during presidential election years. The state will reimburse counties for any extra costs caused by holding this earlier election. Candidates and groups supporting presidential candidates must now notify the Secretary of State by the last Tuesday in December (instead of March) before the presidential primary election.

provide for certain permissible dates for municipal and school district elections.

This bill changes when municipalities must hold their annual elections by replacing the fixed date of the second Tuesday in April with two new options: the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June or the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The bill also allows municipalities to hold combined elections with school districts on either of these new dates, provided both governing bodies agree. Municipal governments must announce which date they're using by January 14th of the election year.