Update: The House State Affairs Committee voted 7-6 to advance House Bill 1066.
Background: House Bill 1066 would tighten South Dakota’s voter residency requirements and would require documentation that the individual maintains residency in the state with an ownership or lease agreement for a residential property.
Our position: The ACLU of South Dakota opposes House Bill 1066.
South Dakota has been heralded as the freest state in the nation, but restricting access to one of the most fundamental rights we have as Americans – participating in our democracy through voting – strips residents of the freedom to take part in our elections. The ACLU of South Dakota is committed to protecting that.
It’s no secret that some of our elected leaders have tried over the years to disenfranchise South Dakota residents who use mail-forwarding services. But it’s vitally important that people be allowed to exercise their rights to vote and to travel – without repercussions to either. If you’re considered a South Dakota resident, you have the right to vote. And you don’t lose that right just because you use a mail-forwarding service.
Because nothing is more sacred to our democracy than the right to vote, our elected officials should be doing everything they can to encourage people to exercise their right to vote – not making it harder, as House Bill 1066 would do.
