The bill amends South Dakota's election laws regarding the requirements for paper ballots. 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" prominently displayed. The bill also clarifies the formatting of candidate names on the ballot, ensuring they are printed in large type and organized by party in separate columns.

Furthermore, the bill establishes new requirements for primary elections, mandating that each political party use a distinct ballot label booklet, marking device, and voting booth. It specifies that ballots for registered Republican voters will have a red border, Democratic voters will have a blue border, and non-partisan ballots will have a black border. The State Board of Elections is tasked with creating 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