At least one county in South Dakota, and possibly more, didn’t follow state law regarding absentee voting this fall. Scott McGregor, a member of the South Dakota Board of Elections, shared his experience when he tried to vote on Friday, September 30, but found that the Pennington County auditor’s office was closed.
McGregor brought this up in a meeting with other state election board members, including Secretary of State Monae Johnson.
South Dakota law requires a 46-day period for absentee voting, but the Pennington County Courthouse is only open four days a week Monday to Thursday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., which means it’s closed on Fridays. McGregor said this violates the law.
During the meeting, McGregor suggested changing the law to require counties to make sure their offices are open on Fridays, at least to accept absentee ballots or applications. He believed all counties should offer the same opportunity for voting.
Pennington County Auditor Cindy Mohler defended the courthouse’s schedule, noting that the office is open for 44 hours a week and that some counties in South Dakota are also closed on Friday afternoons. She also pointed out that some counties are open on Saturdays to help students vote.
McGregor’s suggestion didn’t have support from everyone. Mohler said that if the law changes, it would need to address when county auditor offices should be open. However, McGregor maintained that the law should be followed and everyone should have the same chance to vote.