SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Two counties contacted by KELOLAND News Monday morning said they’ve had a steady stream of voters registering to vote. Monday is the last day to register to vote on the Nov. 5 election in South Dakota.
“We do get quite a few in the last day,” said Moody County Auditor Tawny Heinemann. Some of it is “people who have moved to the county but they haven’t thought about updating (their registration).”
The Day County Auditor Kelsey Kading said the final registration day is typically busy during the election season.
Auditor offices are registering voters while also serving absentee voters. “It’s been busy,” Kading said of the office in Webster.
“We are really busy with absentee (voting),” Heinemann said of the county office in Flandreau.
The most recent voter registration report from the South Dakota Secretary of State office is from Oct. 1.
The state had a total of 144,771 registered Democrats and 312,482 registered Republicans. There were also 89,646 registered or listed as Independents and 2,944 registered Libertarians. The state had 65,198 with no party affiliation. The state does not have an official Independent Party.
There is a total of 616,056 registered active voters as of Oct. 1. That’s about 6,000 more registered active voters than a month ago when about 610,700 were registered.
As of Oct. 1, about 600 more voters registered as Democrat since the Sept. 3 report. About 3,000 more voters registered as Republican since Sept. 3.
For those who still need to register to vote, this was some advice from Kading. “Every vote counts,” Kading said, so it’s important to register.
Those planning to register on Monday must complete the application Applications are available online through the Secretary of State. A driver’s license or the last four digits of the Social Security number can be used when registering, Heinemann said.
Those registering must sign a statement that verifies that the voter lives in the county in which they register, she said.
