Advance voting opens Friday for South Dakota election

When advance voting begins

Advance voting opens Friday for South Dakota’s Nov. 3 general election. Voters must be registered before casting a ballot, and the registration deadline is Oct. 19.

South Dakotans can check their registration status and view sample ballots through the secretary of state’s Voter Information Portal. Registration applications and instructions are available through the secretary of state and county auditors.

Voting in person or by mail

Voters who want to cast an advance ballot in person should contact their county auditor for the location and operating hours. They must show identification, such as a South Dakota driver’s license or non-driver ID, a U.S. government-issued photo ID, a tribal photo ID, or a current student photo ID from a South Dakota high school or college.

For mail voting, a voter can download an absentee ballot application or request one from the county auditor. The completed application must be notarized or sent with a photocopy of an accepted photo ID.

The application includes an authorized-messenger option for voters who cannot receive or return a ballot because of illness or disability. Military members and voters living overseas may submit applications by mail, email or fax.

What voters will decide

South Dakota ballots will include four proposed state constitutional amendments. Voters will also choose officeholders for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor and Legislature, along with candidates in local races and decisions on local ballot questions.

A federal court blocked President Donald Trump’s attempted restrictions on mail voting, and the U.S. Supreme Court left that order in place Monday. Mail voting will continue under the existing process, as South Dakota Searchlight reported.