The bill amends provisions related to the verification of registered voters in South Dakota's master registration file. It introduces a new section allowing immediate family members of registered voters to submit an affidavit to the county auditor stating that the voter is deceased. This affidavit must include the name of the deceased voter, the reporting family member's name and relationship, and sufficient identifying information. Upon receipt, the county auditor is required to cancel the voter's registration and remove them from the master registration file.

Additionally, the bill amends existing language regarding address verification requests for voters in the active registration file. It specifies that the county auditor must send a nonforwardable address verification request if a voter has not voted, updated their registration, or responded to a confirmation mailing in the past four years, or if an affidavit is received from certain individuals indicating the voter is no longer a resident. The auditor is mandated to send these requests during specific periods and must act promptly upon receiving relevant affidavits. The bill also clarifies the process for handling undeliverable requests and the subsequent steps for moving voters to an inactive registration file.

Statutes affected:
Introduced, 02/04/2025: 12-4-19, 12-4-19.2
House State Affairs Engrossed, 02/10/2025: 12-4-19, 12-4-19.2