Absentee voting kicking off Friday in South Dakota

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Lincoln County auditor Sheri Lund and Brown County auditor Lynn Heupel say their counties are ready for Friday's launch of absentee voting in South Dakota .

"We have a staff that we've hired temporarily to help us with the absentee voting," Heupel said Wednesday. "We have it in our courthouse basement."

"There's no changes from anything that's happened the rest of the year," Lund said Wednesday. "You can either vote in person, or you can drop your application off and we can mail a ballot out to you."

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The auditors each share tips to help the absentee voting experience go well.

"The main thing is to have your ID with you, but if you don't have it, you can fill out an affidavit," Heupel said. "It's just putting your name and your address on the affidavit form, and then we just verify that with our records."

An ID is also noteworthy in a new state law. While it is currently under litigation, the law via Senate Bill 175 requires newly registering voters to establish their U.S. citizenship.

"With the new law, with the citizenship, they want to make sure that if they're new to South Dakota or if they're a new 18-year-old voter to bring proof of citizenship," Lund said.

A passport, birth certificate or driver's license issued after July 1, 2025 would satisfy the requirement. Lund and Heupel are each running unopposed for reelection as county auditors.

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