Registration Deadlines and Election Dates

Voter Registration Deadline: received by the County Auditor 15 days before Election Day.

Official Election Websites

• More election information at: sdsos.gov/elections-voting/default.aspx

• Mail-in oter registration form available at: https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/assets/VoterRegistrationFormFillable.pdf

Register at School or Home

Students have a decision about where to register to vote.

You have a right to register to vote at the address you consider the place where you live, whether that is your family's home or the place where you attend school. You should update your registration anytime this home address changes.

You may only be registered and vote in one location.

What Type of ID Do I Need to Register?

South Dakota’s voter registration form asks for your South Dakota driver’s license or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Be sure to provide one of these numbers if you have it.

What Type of ID Do I Need to Vote?

All voters who vote in-person must present identification. The acceptable forms of ID are:

• A South Dakota driver’s license or non-driver identification card

• U.S. government photo ID, including passport

• Current student photo ID, issued by a high school or an accredited institution of higher education, including a university, college, or technical school, located within South Dakota

• Tribal photo ID

If you are not able to present a form of personal identification, you may complete an affidavit and vote a regular ballot.

Where Do I Vote?

Make a plan. Check your voter registration and absentee ballot status, look up your voting site and hours at: https://vip.sdsos.gov/viplogin.aspx

How Can I Vote?

By Mail

• Any registered voter may cast an absentee ballot in South Dakota

• Contact your local election officials for a mail ballot. An absentee ballot application is available at: https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/assets/AbsenteeApplication_202012.PDF. Be sure to either get your application notarized or submit a copy of your valid ID (listed above) with your application when you mail it in.

• In South Dakota, the County Election Official must receive your application for absentee ballot no later than 5 p.m. the day before the election

• Your ballot must be received by the County Election Official by 7 p.m. on Election Day

Early In-person

You may apply to vote early iniperson at your County Auditor’s office once absentee voting begins 46 days before an election, until 5 p.m. on the day before Election Day.

Election Day

Voting sites will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day. If you are in line by the closing time then you have the right to vote.

Common Questions/Concerns

Registering to Vote Does Not Affect Your:

Federal Financial Aid

Where you register to vote will not affect federal financial aid such as Pell Grants, Perkins or Stafford loans, or your dependency status for FAFSA.

Status as a Dependent on Your Parents’ Taxes

Being registered to vote at a different address from your parents does not prevent them from claiming you as a dependent on their taxes.

Tuition Status

Being deemed out-of-state for tuition purposes does not prevent you from choosing to register to vote in your campus community.

Will registering to vote in South Dakota affect my driver’s license or car registration?

As a full-time student in South Dakota, you may have to make these changes regardless of whether you register to vote in South Dakota. For more information, you may wish to contact the South Dakota Motor Vehicle Division.