Guidelines in South Dakota

• You need to be a United States citizen.
• You need to reside in South Dakota.
• You need to be 18 or older on Election Day.
• You can't currently be serving a sentence for a felony conviction which included imprisonment, served or suspended, in an adult penitentiary system.
• You can't have been judged mentally incompetent by a court of law.
• If you're a first-time voter who registers by mail, you're required to submit proof of identification either at the time of registration or when you vote. You can include a copy of your identification with your registration form today! Acceptable forms of ID include: a current utility bill, bank statement, valid photo ID, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address.

Don't forget -- your state may have additional ID requirements when you go to the polls.

If you have additional questions about voting in South Dakota, please contact:

Elections Division: (605)-773-3537; elections@state.sd.us

• Received by: 15 days before Election Day.

Under South Dakota law, if you have been convicted of a felony and sentenced to incarceration, you may register and vote when you have been released from prison and completed your sentence, including supervised release. For more information, visit the South Dakota Elections Division's website.

• You must be a resident of the state in which you register and vote. If you're a student from South Dakota who attends school in another state, you may need to determine whether you're a South Dakota resident or a resident of the state where you attend school. The important thing to keep in mind is that you may only cast your vote in one state.
• Here's what South Dakota says about residency: Your residence is the fixed place where you live and to which, whenever you're away, you intend to return. You have residency in any county or municipality in which you actually live, so long as you don't have the present intention to leave that place.
• If you determine you're a South Dakota resident, but will not be present in this state or will be away from your home district on Election Day, be sure to check the absentee ballot application requirements and deadlines. In addition, South Dakota residents who attend school in-state, but in a different election district, may be eligible to register and vote in the election district where they live while attending school.
• To determine whether you're a resident of a different state where you attend school, be sure to check that state's residency requirements.

South Dakota says that you need to bring ONE of the following forms of identification:

• South Dakota driver's license or non-driver identification card, or
• Passport or other government-issued photo ID, or
• Tribal photo ID, or
• Current student photo ID from an institution located in South Dakota

Your identity may also be confirmed by completing and signing a personal identification affidavit to still be allowed to vote a regular ballot. A member of the election board must verify that picture ID matches you, and name on ID must match name in voter registration list. If poll worker cannot make this determination, they may consider other forms of ID, personal knowledge, or your explanation. If your identity cannot be proven to the satisfaction of the poll worker,you may vote by provisional ballot.

No

In South Dakota, you don't have to wait until Election Day to vote. You can skip Election Day lines and vote early at a time that's convenient for you.

Vote Early in Person

All voters in South Dakota may vote in person before Election Day at your County Auditor's office.

Find the location of your County Auditor's office here.

Vote Early by Mail

You can also vote before Election Day by completing an absentee ballot and submitting it by mail.

Complete the Absentee Ballot Application and return it to your County Auditor's office by 3:00pm on Election Day, Election Day.

Your completed ballot must be returned by mail or in person so that the ballot is received by your County Auditor by the close of polls on Election Day.

Find the location of your County Auditor's office here.

http://www.sdsos.gov