PIERRE, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) – Early and absentee voting for the June 2 primary election is beginning in some South Dakota counties after a delayed start, though others remain in limbo awaiting ballots.
Davison County, which includes Mitchell, was one of the first in the state to open early voting. The county started about an hour after receiving ballots on Wednesday morning, said Auditor Kathy Wingert.
“Despite this rough start to the election season, I’m confident in how the election will run. It should be smooth sailing from here,” Wingert said.
Minnehaha, Lincoln and Pennington County auditors said on Wednesday that they received ballots. Minnehaha plans to open early voting at noon on Thursday, while Lincoln and Pennington counties plan to begin early voting as soon as the office opens for the day Thursday.
Early voting was supposed to start last Friday. It was delayed due in part to a quirk of the calendar that created an unusually short window between a legal filing deadline for candidate nominating petitions — the last Tuesday in March, which was March 31 this year, the fifth of five Tuesdays in the month — and the start of ballot printing and early voting. The situation left county auditors waiting for the state to certify candidates, which delayed ballot printing as the intended start of early voting approached.
Earlier this year, state lawmakers declined to apply a fix for the primary election sought by county auditors that would have moved candidate filing deadlines earlier. Some legislators expressed concerns about changing the laws governing a process that was already underway, as prospective candidates were gathering the required number of signatures from registered voters to earn a spot on the ballot. The deadline change was ultimately approved for future elections, but not for the June 2 primary.
The staggered rollout of early voting has left voters with unequal access and has caused widespread confusion.
Jill Jackson said she attempted to vote on Monday in Sioux Falls during her day off of work but was turned away.
“I just hope things aren’t getting messed up,” she said.
Jackson, who works part-time, plans to vote early on her next day off from work.
Other counties are waiting to receive their ballots. Julie Bartling, auditor for Gregory County, said her office is “waiting patiently” and ready to begin voting when ballots arrive.
State law requires auditors to begin early voting within 48 hours of receiving ballots.
By the end of the first full week of early and absentee voting for South Dakota’s 2024 primary election, 1,857 ballots had been cast either in person or through the mail.
Comments