With the help of Republican lawmakers, South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson has brought a handful of election-related bills to the 2024 legislative session, all to the ire of her campaign supporters. At her request, lawmakers have presented bills to share the statewide voter registration file, establish the crime of threatening a poll worker, and recently SB 17, which modifies the state’s recently-enacted law requiring new South Dakota voters to have resided in the state for at least 30 days. As currently amended, this bill would essentially open the door to anyone living anywhere to vote in South Dakota elections.
As originally introduced, Senate Bill 17 sought to add language to the state’s 30-day residency requirement specifically demanding individuals live in South Dakota “for at least thirty days in the three hundred and sixty-five days immediately prior” to registering to vote. Now the bill, in its current form as amended by the Republican-controlled Senate, would abandon the 30-day residency protections entirely and do away with current residency law that defines a residence as “an actual fixed permanent dwelling.” Such a change would allow practically anyone to buy a South Dakota mailing address and use it to vote.
Senate Bill 17 was introduced with an emergency clause, meaning it goes into effect immediately. It has passed in the Senate committee and on the Senate floor, recently passed the House committee, and is set to be heard on the House floor soon. It has been scheduled and deferred twice this week. As of Friday, three amendments
