Several county auditor offices across South Dakota say absentee ballots will not be available when early voting begins Friday.
The Meade County Auditor’s Office reported it has not yet received ballots for the June 2 primary election and warned absentee voting may be delayed. Pennington County officials issued a similar notice, telling voters ballots will not be ready on the first day of the absentee voting period.
State law requires absentee voting to begin 46 days before an election, but ballots cannot be finalized until after the March 31 candidate filing deadline. Certification, layout, programming and printing all occur after candidate eligibility is confirmed, creating a brief delay.
Pennington County said the issue is tied to state timelines, not county administration. Auditor Sabrina Green said the office is working to make ballots available as soon as possible and urged voters to check their registration status.
Meade County officials asked voters planning to vote absentee Friday to call ahead to check ballot availability.
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