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South Dakota Vote by Mail Initiative (2018)
| South Dakota Vote by Mail Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 6, 2018 | |
| Topic Elections and campaigns | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The South Dakota Vote by Mail Initiative did not appear on the ballot in South Dakota as an initiated state statute on November 6, 2018.
The measure would have allowed county boards of commissioners to pass resolutions requiring that elections be entirely conducted by mail-in ballot. County auditors, without authorization from the board of commissioners, would have been allowed to require elections by mail-in ballot in precincts with less than 200 registered voters under the initiative.[1]
On March 16, 2018, the secretary of state reported that this initiative petition fell short of the signature requirement by 2,916 signatures because not enough of the submitted signatures were valid and that the initiative would not be on the ballot. On November 6, 2017, supporters submitted over 20,000 signatures. At least 13,871 (69.36 percent) of those signatures needed to be valid in order for the measure to qualify for the 2018 ballot.[2]
Initiative Design
The measure would have allowed county boards of commissioners to pass resolutions requiring that elections be entirely conducted by mail-in ballot. County auditors, without authorization from the board of commissioners, would have been allowed to require elections by mail in precincts with less than 200 registered voters under the initiative. The measure would also have required the county auditor in any county that opted for vote-by-mail elections or changes back to in-person voting after having previously instituted vote-by-mail elections, to notify all registered voters of the change. Additionally, the measure would have required ballots to be sent to voters via non-forwardable mail no more than 20 days before an election and no less than 14 days before an election.[1]
The measure would have allowed voters to return their ballots by United States mail or by delivering the ballot to a designated ballot drop-off facility. If a voter opted to return the ballot by mail they would have needed to provide their own postage. Whether returned by mail or delivered to a drop-off facility, ballots would have been required to be received no later than 8:00 p.m. on the date of an election.[1]
A ballot drop-off facility would have required a secure and accessible, locked, ballot box that was designed to receive ballots 24 hours a day under the initiative. Drop-off sights would have also included a prominently displayed sign indicating that the location was an official ballot drop site.[1]
Additionally, the measure would have required verification of voter signatures on return envelopes with the signature on a voter's registration record and would have stipulated that the South Dakota Board of Elections was to adopt rules establishing the procedures to be used for signature verification. If a county auditor determined that a voter had voted more than once, only one ballot would have been counted under the initiative.[1]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title was as follows:[1]
| “ | An initiated measure allowing certain elections to be conducted through a voting-by-mail process.[3] | ” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary was as follows:[1]
| “ | This initiated measure gives county commissioners the authority to require elections to be held by mail ballot. It also gives county auditors the authority to require voting by mail in precincts with less than 200 registered voters. The measure applies only to primary, special, and general elections conducted by the county auditor. Voters will receive advance notice that elections will be conducted by mail.
In most circumstances, if an election is conducted by mail the measure requires that ballots must be mailed to voters at least 14 days before the election. Upon completing the ballot, the voter must sign the provided envelope and return the ballot. Ballots may be returned by mail, delivered to the county courthouse, or deposited at designated ballot drop-off sites that are secure and publicly accessible 24 hours a day. Ballots must be received by 8:00 p.m. on the date of an election. A ballot will be counted if the auditor determines the voter's signature on the envelope matches the signature in the voter's registration record. The measure creates felony and misdemeanor criminal offenses related to voting by mail.[3] |
” |
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Sponsors
Vote at Home led the campaign in support of the initiative.[4]
Arguments
- Drey Samuelson, co-founder of the organization TakeItBack.Org, said, "Single parents don't have to get baby-sitters. It makes it easier for disabled people to vote. It makes it easier for senior citizens to vote. You don't have to drive 40 miles to vote. You can just vote when the mail comes."[5]
Opposition
Ballotpedia did not identify committees, organizations, or individuals opposing the ballot initiative. If you are aware of any opponents or opposing arguments, please send an email with a link to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
| Total campaign contributions: | |
| Support: | $57,500.00 |
| Opposition: | $0.00 |
There was one ballot measure committee, Vote at Home, registered in support of the measure. The committee had raised 57,500.00 and spent 50,715.23. The largest donor was the National Association of Letter Carriers of America, which contributed $25,000. The committee was terminated on May 21, 2018.[4][6]
No committees had registered to oppose this measure.[6]
Support
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
Donors
The top donors in support of this measure were as follows:[4]
| Donor | Cash | In-kind | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Association of Letter Carriers of America | $25,000.00 | $0.00 | $25,000.00 |
| National Rural Letter Carriers Association (NRLCA) PAC | $15,000.00 | $0.00 | $15,000.00 |
| American Postal Workers Union | $5,000.00 | $0.00 | $5,000.00 |
| American Postal Workers Union COPA | $5,000.00 | $0.00 | $5,000.00 |
| ActBlue | $5,000.00 | $0.00 | $5,000.00 |
Opposition
No committees had registered to oppose this measure.[6]
Methodology
To read Ballotpedia's methodology for covering ballot measure campaign finance information, click here.
Background
- See also: Voting in South Dakota
- See also: Mail-in ballot election
As of 2018, South Dakota did not allow any election to be conducted solely with mail-in ballots but did allow no-excuse absentee voting and early voting.
As of 2017, three states, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado hold all elections entirely by mail. California began conducting all elections as vote-by-mail elections in 2018. As of 2018, some states permitted all-mail elections in specific circumstances, such as for municipal elections or when a candidate is running unopposed. South Dakota’s neighboring state of North Dakota allowed counties to decide whether to hold any election entirely by mail. Wyoming allowed counties to decide whether to conduct special elections by mail.[7]
Path to the ballot
In South Dakota, supporters must send proposed initiatives to the South Dakota Legislative Research Council (LRC) for review. Proponents then send the proposal to the attorney general's office to have a ballot title and summary drafted. This information is forwarded to the secretary of state. Supporters can start signature collection as early as two years before the targeted election, and signatures must be submitted at least one year before the targeted election. Signature requirements in South Dakota are based on the total number of votes cast in the state's most recent gubernatorial election. A number of signatures equal to 5 percent of this total is necessary for qualifying initiatives for the 2018 ballot. Supporters needed to collect and submit at least 13,871 valid signatures by November 6, 2017, in order to qualify an initiative for the 2018 ballot.
Drey Samuelson submitted an initiative proposal to the LRC on June 16, 2017, which then issued comments. On August 29, 2017, the attorney general produced a ballot title and summary for the initiative.[8]
On November 6, 2017, supporters submitted over 20,000 signatures. At least 13,871 (69.36 percent) of those signatures needed to be valid in order for the measure to qualify for the 2018 ballot. On March 16, 2018, the secretary of state reported that this initiative petition fell short of the signature requirement by 2,916 signatures because not enough of the submitted signatures were valid and that the initiative would not be on the ballot.[2]
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 South Dakota Secretary of State, "Initiative Text and AG's Statement," September 7, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 US News, "Voters May See Cannabis, Tobacco Tax on South Dakota Ballot," November 6, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 South Dakota Secretary of State, "Vote at Home," accessed December 27, 2017
- ↑ U.S. News, "South Dakota Ballot Measure Would Let People Vote at Home," August 18, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 South Dakota Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance Reporting System," accessed December 27, 2017
- ↑ ‘’NCSL’’, “All-mail Elections (Aka Vote-by-mail),” accessed December 30, 2017
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Potential 2018 Ballot Questions," accessed June 20, 2017
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