September 24th is National Voter Registration Day in South Dakota.

According to Jason Gant, SD Secretary of State, only 535,471 out of 833,354 South Dakota residents are registered voters. Gant said, "I want to encourage all eligible South Dakotans to register."

To be eligible to vote in our state, a person must be a United States citizen, a resident of South Dakota, and at least 18 years old on or before the next election. A person wishing to register must not be serving a felony sentence or not judged mentally incompetent by a court of law.

Nationwide in 2008, six million people reported they didn't vote because they didn't know how to register or missed the registration deadline, according to Secretary Gant.

The following is from a release from the Secretary of State Office in Pierre:

The deadline for voter registration is 15 days before any election in South Dakota. Governor Dennis Daugaard has declared September 24th as National Voter Registration Day in South Dakota. You can view the proclamation here: http://bit.ly/16mqaDI

 

 

 

Complete instructions about how to register to vote in South Dakota can be found online at sdsos.gov. County Auditors administer voter registrations for residents of their counties, and voter registration forms can be filled out and delivered in person or mailed to these offices. Eligible South Dakotans may also register to vote at city finance offices, driver licensing stations, public assistance agencies including TANF and WIC, Department of Humans Services offices providing assistance to the disabled and military recruitment offices.

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