South Dakota's new voter ID law sparks chaos ahead of primary election
New voter registration rules in South Dakota have led to confusion among county officials. Senate Bill 175 now requires proof of citizenship for new voters, but unclear guidelines have left auditors interpreting the law differently. The changes take effect just weeks before the June 2 primary election. The bill, passed with an emergency clause, mandates that new voters must provide proof of citizenship when registering. Those who fail to do so receive a letter marking them as 'Federal Only' voters, limiting their ballots to federal elections only.
County auditors are split on how to verify this proof. Hughes County Finance Officer Thomas Oliva and Haakon County Auditor Stacy Pinney insist on seeing the physical driver’s licence in person. Meanwhile, Harding County Auditor Kathy Glines accepts a photocopy as sufficient evidence. The lack of clear state guidance has created inconsistency. Amy Scott-Stoltz, president of the League of Women Voters of South Dakota, noted that auditors are struggling to apply the rules uniformly. Separately, Attorney General Marty Jackley released a draft explanation on Amendment J, a proposed constitutional change to explicitly bar non-citizens from voting. With the primary election approaching, officials are racing to resolve the confusion before voters head to the polls.
The new law is now in force, but its implementation varies by county. Voters may face different requirements depending on where they register. State officials have yet to provide unified instructions, leaving local auditors to make their own decisions.
