May 28, 2022

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ELECTIONS

VOTER INFORMATION

The county will have both a primary and general election in 2022.

Here is what you need to know as we progress through the year.

FORMS

NOTICE OF TESTING AUTOMATIC TABULATING EQUIPMENT

Notice is hereby given that the automatic tabulating equipment will be tested to ascertain that it will correctly count the votes for all offices and measures that are to be cast at the primary election held on the 7th day of June, 2022.

The test will be conducted on the 31st day of May, 2022, at 3:00 o’clock p.m. at the following location: Hand County Courthouse, Second Floor, Commission Chambers, 415 West 1st Avenue, Miller, South Dakota.

Dated this 17th day of May, 2022              /s/: Doug DeBoer – Auditor

NOTICE REGARDING USE OF DROP BOXES FOR ELECTION MATERIALS

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that drop boxes will not be used in Hand County during the 2022 election cycles for neither the primary nor the general elections.

The drop box which was installed in 2020 will remain at the west door of the courthouse for use for other purposes but voters need to be aware that election materials of any type are inherently valuable and need to remain secure. The drop box was used during the pandemic to mitigate voter concerns over face-to-face contact. Those concerns have diminished to a point where the extraordinary measure of using a drop box is no longer needed nor allowed as we have it installed. The box is not secure enough and it is not continually monitored by staff or appropriate video surveillance.

Voters who have election related materials, including but not limited to, voter registry documents, applications for absentee ballots, or actual ballots for absentee voting will have to obtain them from and present them back to the staff in the auditor’s office or use the US POSTAL SERVICE for delivery in lieu of personal delivery. South Dakota also allows for absentee voting in person, in the auditor’s office, ahead of the elections. An acceptable photograph identification card is required when voting.

Absentee voting applications are available online through the South Dakota Secretary of State’s Office (https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/assets/AbsenteeApplication_202012.PDF) or on the Hand County Elections (https://hand.sdcounties.org/auditor/elections/) websites. Box 7 on the form defines the identification validation process that is required in order to vote absentee. Please read it with care and call the auditor’s office (605-853-2182) if you have any questions. If a form is submitted and an error found, the application cannot be processed until it is corrected.

/s/: Doug DeBoer – County Auditor

04-02-22

NOTICE OF DEADLINE FOR VOTER REGISTRATION

Voter registration for the PRIMARY Election to be held on June 7, 2022, will close on May 23, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. Failure to register by this date will cause forfeiture of voting rights for this election. If you are in doubt about whether you are registered, check the Voter Information Portal at www.sdsos.gov or call the county auditor at 605-853-2182.
Registration may be completed during regular business hours at the county auditor’s office, municipal finance office, secretary of state’s office, and those locations which provide driver’s licenses, SNAP, TANF, WIC, military recruitment, and assistance to the disabled as provided by the Department of Human Services. You may contact the county auditor to request a mail-in registration form or access a mail-in form at (www.sdsos.gov [https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/assets/VoterRegistrationFormFillable.pdf].
Any voter who needs assistance, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, may contact the county auditor for information and special assistance in voter registration.
/s/: Doug DeBoer – Hand County Auditor [SDCL: 12-4-5.2]

AMENDED NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on April 6, 2022 the candidate order for the primary election contests for county sheriff and county commissioner (district 1) shall be obtained by draw of lots in which identical items will be placed into a container and the first one drawn from the blind shall be placed first upon the ballot, the next drawn shall be second and this shall continue until all lots are drawn.  The drawing shall take place at 1:00 P.M. in the commission chambers of the Hand County Courthouse located at 415 West 1st Avenue, Miller, South Dakota 57362.  “Each candidate has the right to be present or represented when the arrangement is to be determined.”  The drawing will also be broadcast live via the auditor’s YouTube channel with a link present on the county’s Facebook page or visit https://hand.sdcounties.org/auditor/elections/ for links and information on how to watch online.  Authority:  /s/: Doug DeBoer – Auditor

The link to watch the drawing of ballot order is on our YouTube channel:  https://youtu.be/r4av6OhY49g

 

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on April 6, 2022 the candidate order for the primary election contest for county sheriff shall be obtained by draw of lots in which identical items will be placed into a container and the first one drawn in the blind shall be placed first upon the ballot, the next drawn shall be second and this shall continue until all lots are drawn. The drawing shall take place at 1:00 P.M. in the commission chambers of the Hand County Courthouse located at 415 West 1st Avenue, Miller, South Dakota 57362. “Each candidate has the right to be present or represented when the arrangement is to be determined.” The drawning will also be broadcast live via the auditor’s YouTube channel with a link present on the county’s Facebook page or visit https://hand.sdcounties.org/auditor/elections/ for links and information on how to watch online. Authority: /s/: Doug DeBoer – Auditor

Link to the county’s Facebook page:  Hand County South Dakota | Facebook

Link to the auditor’s YouTube channel: Hand County Auditor’s YouTube Channel

Beginning in 2022, Hand County switched from having eight polling places to having five polling places, two of which will be collocated.  The county also went from 12 precincts to five precincts.

The county wants to extend a heartfelt “THANK YOU” to the St. Mary’s Church in Zell, The United Methodist Church in Miller, The City of Ree Heights and the City of Saint Lawrence for hosting election polls over the last several years.

On June 7 and November 8 voters will visit the following polling places:

  1. The home of Doug Schiltz.  Located just south of the railroad tracks on 369th Avenue.  Just west of Vayland.
  2. The Miller Community Center. (collocated and Serving both Miller precincts)
  3. The Sunshine Bible Academy east gymnasium.
  4. The former Polo School.

Due to statutory redistricting, the five county commissioner districts were redrawn.  The goal was to have as close a number of persons in each district.  The 2020 census data is used for that determination.  With the change in commissioner districts, the commission also approved reducing the 12 former precincts into five precincts.  Each new precinct mirrors the commissioner district boundaries.  The new scheme is:

  • Commissioner District one is also Precinct 1, voting at Doug Schiltz’s home.
  • Commissioner District two is also Precinct 2, voting at the Miller Community Center.
  • Commissioner District three is also Precinct 3, also voting at the Miller Community Center.
  • Commissioner District four is also Precinct 4, voting at the east gymnasium of Sunshine Bible Academy.
  • Commissioner District five is also Precinct 5, voting at the former Polo School building.

Districts / Precincts 2 & 3 which represent the bulk of the residents in Miller can be seen by CLICKING HERE to open the image.

Districts / Precincts 1, 4 & 5 which represent the rural population of Hand County can be seen by CLICKING HERE to the image.

If you are unsure of your voter registry status or your polling place, the following information is just what you need.

Once the Sample Ballots are available (ahead of the election) the “South Dakota Voter Information Portal” will display your ballot based on where you are registered.

Information for voters can be found on the VOTER INFORMATION PORTABLE hosted by the Secretary of State.

      • https://vip.sdsos.gov/vipLogin.aspx
      • Current Voter Registration Status
        • Input your name as registered, your date of birth or zip code
      • Once you open your record, you can view:
        • Your information as it appears “on the record”
        • A sample ballot for your precinct when it’s published ahead of the election.
        • A link to download the voter registration form for updates.
        • Information on how to reach your county election official.
      • Absentee Voting information is available at:

To see who is running for the various offices in the state, click the link below:

https://vip.sdsos.gov/candidatelist.aspx?eid=422 (use the search feature to narrow your search)

ELECTION DAY POLL WORKERS

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER

Date of South Dakota’s 2022 Primary Election – June 7, 2022
Absentee voting begins – April 22, 2022
Voter Registration Deadline – May 23, 2022

Date of South Dakota’s 2020 General Election – November 8, 2022
Absentee voting begins – September 23, 2022
Voter Registration Deadline – October 24, 2022

Check your voter registration status online.

 

Absentee Voting Informational Page (Redirects to the Secretary of State’s Website)

PDF Form Fill Form to use when requesting a list of voters from the Auditor or Secretary of State.

  • Checklist to be used when validating the request for voter information.

 

ES&S DS200 Ballot Tabulator (Will replace our current M100 units).

ES&S “Express Vote” touch-screen voting machine. (Will replace our current Automark machines).

AT THE POLLS

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides specifications for accessibility to polling places.  This download provides guidance on those specifications.

A direct link to the ADA document is available by clicking HERE.

South Dakota Secretary of State’s Information on accessibility is found on their website at this LINK