Defending everyone's rights and freedoms.

The League of Women Voters of South Dakota and an individual plaintiff, represented by Campaign Legal Center, the ACLU Voting Rights Project, the ACLU of South Dakota and Heidepriem Purtell Siegel Hinrichs, LLP, have filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to ensure South Dakota’s administration of a new voter registration requirement complies with the U.S. Constitution and federal law. During the 2026 legislative session, the ACLU of South Dakota and the League of Women Voters of South Dakota testified against SB 175, which requires new voters to provide unnecessary documentation of their U.S. citizenship when registering to vote or otherwise lose the opportunity to vote in state and local elections by being designated a “federal-only” voter. For the most common and accessible forms of this documentation—driver licenses, Tribal IDs, and non-driver state IDs—the state is requiring voters to provide original copies in person. And if there is an issue with the voter’s documentation, the state sends these voters a notice letter containing inaccurate information about why their registration was denied. The implementation of this law has not only caused confusion and created unnecessary barriers to registering to vote for South Dakotans, but it also violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law. We are asking the court to ensure that South Dakota’s new registration law is implemented in a way that complies with crucial, pro-voter provisions of federal law, so all South Dakotans can make their voices heard in this upcoming election, and all elections in the future.

We the People is a blog series that features the stories of members, supporters, volunteers, and allies of the American Civil Liberties Union of SD, ND and WY. Together we are accomplishing critical work in our state to protect and advance civil liberties in our region and beyond.

If there were any issues during the June municipal runoff election, the ACLU wants to highlight what happened, work with officials to improve voting process.

Our democracy works best when all eligible voters participate and have their voices heard. Here’s everything you need to know about casting your ballot this year.