Update: Gov. Larry Rhoden signed Senate Bill 185 into law.
Background: Senate Bill 185 would amend the process by which the qualifications of a registered voter are verified.
Our position: The ACLU of South Dakota opposes Senate Bill 185.
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.