STURGIS, S.D. – Meade County Auditor Lisa Schieffer says they are encouraging residents to vote absentee by mail for the upcoming June 2 primary.
Schieffer says the Auditor’s Office wants to support the health and safety of all voters, poll workers and other election staff by offering an alternative to in-person voting. This is in response to the COVID-19 situation.
Voters can find an absentee ballot by visiting sdsos.gov and going to elections. Schieffer says the application itself is simple and self-explanatory. Once the ballot is filled out and signed, it can be mailed back to the auditor’s office or left in the drop box at the Meade County Erskine Building in Sturgis.
Once they receive the application, the ballot and instructions is then sent out to you by mail.
All absentee voting in the state of South Dakota begins Friday, April 17, 2020.
Polling places will be open on June 2 from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Schieffer encourages voters to practice social distancing while voting if they do not vote absentee.
Here is complete information on the process from Schieffer:
Dear Meade County Voter:
With the upcoming June 2, 2020 Primary Election approaching and until this emergency passes with the COVID-19 virus, we at the Meade County Auditor’s Office want to support the health and safety of our voters, poll workers, and other election staff by offering an alternative to in-person voting.
In this time of crisis, for the Primary Election, we are STRONGLY encouraging you to exercise your right to vote and protect public health by voting absentee by mail.
Enclosed is the South Dakota Absentee Ballot Application Form. This form can also be found at https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/assets/AbsenteeBallotApplicationFillable.pdf The application itself is simple and self-explanatory. Once the same is filled out and signed it can be mailed back to our office at the address stated above or left in the drop box located at the Meade County Erskine Building, 1300 Sherman Street, Sturgis SD. We cannot accept fax or email versions, unless it is military or overseas citizens. Once we receive the application, the ballot and instructions will be sent to you by mail.
All absentee voting in the State of South Dakota starts, Friday April 17, 2020. The deadline for absentee requests is June 1, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. Authorized messenger requests due to sickness or disability only, have a deadline of 3:00 p.m. on election day. All absentee ballots must be returned to our office before 7:00 p.m. on election day to be counted. Any absentee ballots that come after the deadline will not be counted according to law. Our office will remain open for the early in-person absentee voting option. If you must use this option, best practices of CDC guidelines will be used to screen voters due to the transmission of the COVID-19 virus.
Use of the Express Vote machine will be available at each polling place and the Auditor’s Office to comply with the Help America Vote Act, but we ask at this time that it be used to accommodate our voters with disabilities. Best practices will also be followed to reduce the opportunity for disease transmission on touchscreens.
Polling places will be open on June 2, 2020 from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. If you choose not to vote absentee, we strongly encourage social distancing at the polling places and that all precautions for your health and safety, along with the poll workers, are adhered to.
Let’s all work together this Primary Election to make it a safe one. Again, we STRONGLY encourage you to vote absentee by mail. You can track the process of your absentee ballot on the South Dakota Secretary of State’s web page.
All essential updates on voting, polling place changes, and notices can be found on the Meade County Web page at www.meadecounty.org
Thank you in advance for your consideration. Stay healthy and safe.
