Background: Senate Bill 218 would revise the provisions associated with residency for voting purposes. In order to register to vote, an individual must maintain an actual fixed permanent dwelling, establishment, or any other abode for at least 30 days.
Our position: The ACLU of South Dakota opposes Senate Bill 218.
It’s no secret that some of our elected leaders have tried over the years to disenfranchise South Dakota’s ‘motor voters,’ as they’re sometimes called. But it’s vitally important that people be allowed to exercise their rights to vote and to travel out of state – without repercussions to either. Maybe they’re full-time travelers. Maybe they’re working overseas. It doesn’t matter. If they are considered South Dakota residents, they have the right to vote. And they don’t lose that right just because they use a mail-forwarding service.