This bill amends existing laws regarding the retention and destruction of ballots and election materials following municipal, nonfederal, and school district elections in South Dakota. It introduces a new section that mandates the certification of election returns by the precinct election board and places the responsibility of custody of ballots and pollbooks with the municipal finance officer. The bill allows for the destruction of voted ballots, pollbooks, and other election materials twenty-two months after the election, extending the retention period significantly from the previous sixty days.

Additionally, the bill modifies existing language in current law to clarify that the person in charge of an election can destroy election materials for both federal and nonfederal elections after the same twenty-two-month period. It also specifies that if a ballot is used for both federal and state or local elections, all related materials must be maintained for the full twenty-two months. The bill further ensures that the returns from school district elections are certified similarly and allows the school district's business manager to destroy election materials after the same retention period.

Statutes affected:
Introduced, 01/29/2026: 12-20-31, 13-7-17