Pierre, SD – South Dakota Secretary of State Shantel Krebs is encouraging South Dakotan’s to register to vote, “As South Dakotan’s we value our right to vote and appreciate the freedom we have to voice our opinions at the ballot box. In order for unregistered voters to participate in the November 8th general election, their Voter Registration form must be submitted by 5pm Monday, October 24th.”

Video of Secretary Krebs for Media use: Click Here

Audio Clip for Radio Media attached

You may register to vote at the following locations:

County auditor’s office

Driver’s license station (when you are renewing or applying for a driver’s license you may also register to vote on the driver’s license application)

City finance office

Public assistance agencies providing food stamps, TANF or WIC

Department of Human Services offices which provide assistance to the disabled

Military recruitment offices

To register to vote, fill-out the voter registration form, sign it and then submit it to your County Auditor. Your Voter Registration form must be received by the County Auditor 15 days before any election if you wish to vote in that election. To register to vote click here

Registered South Dakota voters can download the Vote 605 Mobile App to view their sample ballot and find their polling place from their smart phone. To download the App click here.

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Registered voters can vote in person at their County Auditor’s office up until 5:00 pm the day prior to the election by bringing along a photo Identification Card (ID) such as a driver’s license, nondriver ID, passport including a picture, tribal identification card including a picture, or student ID including a picture. If a voter does not have a photo ID, they must be given the option to sign a personal identification affidavit.

All voters wishing to vote absentee by mail must fill out an application and have their signature notarized or provide a copy of their photo identification and mail or hand deliver their original signed application. (See exceptions for UOCAVA voters below). For the absentee ballot request form click here

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Absentee Voting

o All voters wanting to vote by absentee must complete and submit a signed absentee ballot application to the county auditor in the county he/she is registered to vote in.

The application must include a copy of one of the valid ID’s listed above or the voter’s signature must be notarized.

o Deadline to request an absentee ballot is 5:00pm the day prior to the election.

o South Dakota does not use the term “early voting” in state law. Any voter can vote an absentee ballot without having to provide a reason 46 days prior to a primary and general election. These voters are absent from their voting precinct on Election Day.

o The voter can vote absentee by mail or the voter can vote in-person at their county auditor’s office up until 5:00 pm the day prior to the election.

o To track the status of your absentee ballot click here

o If a voter is confined due to sickness or disability, that voter can use an authorized messenger to bring the ballot to them. There is a section on the application for absentee ballot where the voter will indicate who they want to bring their ballot to them. The deadline for this option is 3:00 pm on Election Day.

Voter ID requirements

o All voters are required by law to show a photo ID in order to cast a ballot.

o Acceptable forms of ID allowed:

A South Dakota driver’s license or nondriver identification card;

A passport or an identification card, including a picture, issued by an agency of the United States government;

A tribal identification card, including a picture; or

A current student identification card, including a picture, issued by a high school or an accredited institution of higher education, including a university, college, or technical school, located within the State of South Dakota.

Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA)

o All military and overseas citizens are allowed to request their ballot be sent to them electronically (fax or email). These voters provide an email address on the absentee ballot application. The voter will receive an email with a username, password and a link to access their ballot. That username and password is only valid for 48 hours. These voters must print the ballot off, mark their ballot and MAIL their ballot back to his/her county auditor. No marked ballots can be returned electronically.

o Stateside military must submit the absentee ballot application with a copy of his/her ID or have his/her signature notarized.

The ID requirements are waived for all military and US citizens living outside of the US.



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