April 1, 2020 •
South Dakota Adjourns After Postponing Election
The Legislature adjourned on March 30 after holding its first electronic voting day for the last scheduled day of the 2020 session.
The electronic voting day considered bills vetoed by Gov. Kristi Noem and several new bills related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Legislature passed 9 of the 11 bills Noem requested to aid the state in battling the COVID-19 virus.
An approved bill includes the one that postponed elections.
House Bill 1298 postpones any election scheduled to be held from April 14 through May 26.
The bill requires the governing body of the political subdivision holding the election to choose any Tuesday in June as the alternate election date.
It also requires the absentee voting period to extend through 5:00 p.m. local time the day before the new election date.
A special session is tentatively planned for June to address lingering budget concerns caused by the pandemic.
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