Absentee voting for the November election starts Friday in South Dakota. Government officials are reminding people to register to vote before the October 22nd deadline and request absentee ballots as soon as possible. As SDPB’s Cassie Bartlett reports, it’s important for military personnel to get their votes in on time.
Secretary of State Jason Gant says voter turnout among military members is comparable to non-military people during elections. While the process to register to vote and request absentee ballots are relatively the same, Gant says military workers need to submit theirs sooner than later because forms need to be mailed in.
“Part of the reason that South Dakota has one of the very first days of absentee voting for the general election is because it’s so important that we have a lot of time to make sure that those military men and women have enough time to mail back in their ballots. I’m very proud that South Dakota is one of the leaders in the nation in trying to ensure that all of our military have that opportunity to cast their ballot,” Gant says.
Gant says absentee ballots are accepted up to the actual Election Day in November. For South Dakota Public Broadcasting, I’m Cassie Bartlett.