South Dakota legislation · 101st Legislature (2026)
South Dakota SB171: amend provisions pertaining to the processing of absentee ballots and to declare an emergency.
Status: Signed into law, March 30, 2026
What the bill says
An Act ENTITLED An Act to amend provisions pertaining to the processing of absentee ballots and to declare an emergency.
From the enrolled text, March 11, 2026:
An Act ENTITLED An Act to amend provisions pertaining to the processing of absentee ballots and to declare an emergency. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of South Dakota: Section 1. That § 12-19-10 be AMENDED: 12-19-10. Upon receipt of the sealed return envelope containing the voted ballots, the person in charge of the election or their designee shall mark the date of receipt on the envelope. The person in charge of the election shall keep the absentee ballot in a safe place without opening the envelope or breaking the seal thereof, and shall deliver it to the superintendent of the voter's home precinct, or to the absentee ballot counting board as provided in § 12-19-42. The person in charge of the election shall have the absentee ballots delivered with the election supplies, or if received later, then prior to the close of the polls. If the person in charge of the election creates an absentee ballot precinct, pursuant to § 12-19-37, the person in charge of the election must deliver to the superintendent of each precinct, the list containing the names of each voter who voted by absentee ballot along with the election supplies. On election day, the person in charge of the election shall forward to a precinct superintendent any updates to the list of …
Sponsors
- Leslie Heinemann (R, HD-025) · primary sponsor
- Peterson, Sue (R, 13) · primary sponsor
Latest actions
- : Signed by the Governor
- : Delivered to the Governor
- : Signed by the Speaker
- : Signed by the President
- : Concurred in amendments
- : Do Pass Amended
- : Do Pass Amended
- : Motion to amend
- : Scheduled for hearing
- : Referred to State Affairs
Votes
- Concurred in amendments (March 10, 2026): 32 yea, 2 nay, passed
- Do Pass Amended (March 5, 2026): 56 yea, 11 nay, passed
- Do Pass Amended (March 2, 2026): 11 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Do Pass (February 5, 2026): 32 yea, 2 nay, passed
- Do Pass (February 4, 2026): 9 yea, 0 nay, passed
Subjects: Elections, Absentee Voting, Emergency Clause
Common questions
- What is SB171?
- SB171 is a bill in the South Dakota Legislature (101st Legislature (2026)): amend provisions pertaining to the processing of absentee ballots and to declare an emergency.
- What does SB171 do?
- In its own words: An Act ENTITLED An Act to amend provisions pertaining to the processing of absentee ballots and to declare an emergency.
- What is the status of SB171?
- Signed into law as of March 30, 2026. Latest action: Signed by the Governor (March 30, 2026).
- Who sponsored SB171?
- Leslie Heinemann (R, HD-025), with 1 co-sponsor.
- Where is the official record for SB171?
- On the South Dakota Legislature website: https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bill/27030
Source: official South Dakota record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.