The bill amends the requirements for official paper ballots in South Dakota elections. It specifies that an official ballot must be printed on white paper with certain quality standards, including a weight of at least eighty pounds, an opacity of at least ninety-five percent, a brightness of at least ninety-six percent, and a thickness of at least six one-thousandths of an inch. Additionally, sample ballots must be printed on yellow paper with a weight of at least twenty pounds and must have the word "sample" printed at the top. The bill also clarifies the arrangement of candidates' names on the ballot and establishes that ballot information in precincts using automatic tabulating systems must follow the same order as paper ballots, with specific provisions regarding the layout.

Furthermore, the bill outlines new requirements for primary elections, mandating that separate ballot label booklets, marking devices, and voting booths be used for each political party. It introduces specific border colors for ballots based on party affiliation: red for Republican voters, blue for Democratic voters, and black for non-partisan ballots. The State Board of Elections is tasked with establishing rules for the border colors of sample and official ballots for any new political parties participating in the primary election.

Statutes affected:
Introduced, 01/25/2025: 12-16-2, 12-16-2.1