• Official State Website
• Secretary of State Website
• Absentee Voting Rules Webpage

Summary
You are eligible to vote in the state of South Dakota if:

-You are a United States citizen
-You Reside in South Dakota (residency defined)
-You are at least 18 years old on or before the next election
-You are not currently serving a sentence for a felony conviction which included imprisonment, served or suspended, in an adult penitentiary system
-You have not been judged mentally incompetent by a court of law

To register to vote in the state of South Dakota you must fill out online (pdf) or download (pdf) and send in the Voter Registration Form to your county auditor at least 15 days prior to any election. If you'd like to register to vote in person you can do so at the following locations:

County auditor's office
City finance office
Driver's license station
Public assistance agencies providing food stamps, TANF or WIC
Department of Human Services offices which provide assistance to the disabled
Military recruitment offices
Mail-in registration with cards from the county auditor's office or from one of the links above

Anyone who is a registered voter may vote by absentee ballot and can apply at any time (and by 3 p.m. on the day of an election). To apply, a voter must mail or hand deliver a written application for an absentee ballot with the person in charge of running the election. The voter's signature on the application must be notarized or witnessed by an official who can administer an oath. (An alternative to notarization would be to send a photocopy of a valid form of identification with the application).

Uniformed and overseas citizens may submit an application or request for an absentee ballot by fax or e-mailed image to the person in charge of the election. Absentee ballot requests from overseas citizens need not be notarized.

Deadlines

• Deadline to register to vote in November 2008 election: October 20, 2008
• Deadline to register for absentee ballot in November 2008 election:

Voting Equipment

Currently, South Dakota uses both paper ballot and optical scan equipment for voting.