Contested votes in a Minnehaha County legislative primary race will stand. That’s the report from the state Supreme Court, after denying the request from a South Dakota election integrity group.
Over 130 absentee primary votes will stay tallied following the decision announced earlier this month.
Ultimately the votes, split across three races, were included in a recount that took place in late June. These Minnehaha County districts are all represented by Democrats.
The request came from the group South Dakota Canvassing, a conservative election integrity organization that has advocated for closer scrutiny on state elections – up to and including hand counting ballots in local elections and banning mail-in votes.
The court denied the application from group president Jessica Pollema and District 11 candidate John Kunnari.
The files argue local officials, including Secretary of State Monae Johnson and Minnehaha County Auditor Leah Anderson, did not do enough to ensure the legality of registered voters in the election, thus violation election laws.
Johnson and Anderson both ran on election integrity platforms in the most recent election, and the support of groups like South Dakota Canvassing played a key role in their paths to office.
The Secretary of States office argued the challenge was outside the boundaries of state law.