This bill establishes a pilot program in South Dakota to test and validate a secured cryptographically end-to-end verifiable voting system specifically for absentee voters and those covered under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. The program will allow participation from no more than three election jurisdictions, which must receive approval from their governing bodies before implementation. The bill outlines the responsibilities of the jurisdictions, including notifying the secretary of state about the selected voting system and any potentially incompatible laws. The secretary of state and the attorney general will review these laws and waive those deemed incompatible within seven days of notification.

Additionally, the bill mandates that any voting system used must meet specific criteria to ensure security and verifiability, including the ability to accurately identify voters, encrypt ballots, and provide a unique record for voters to confirm their ballot was counted. It also stipulates that jurisdictions participating in the pilot program are not required to provide paper ballots for absentee voters. The provisions of this act will take effect on January 1, 2027, and will expire on December 31, 2028.