Absentee or early voting is scheduled to begin this Friday April 17th for the primary election in Brown County, but it will be delayed. According to Brown County Auditor Lynn Heupel, the Secretary of State’s office is still working through petition challenges, and until that is completed the ballot is not yet set. Heupel goes onto say absentee voting will begin in Brown County once all petition challenges have been resolved in Pierre.
The full release about the situation can be found below:
The Brown County Auditor’s Office is notifying voters that absentee ballots for the upcoming June 2 Primary Election will not be available on the first day of the absentee voting period.
Under South Dakota law, absentee voting is scheduled to begin 46 days prior to an election pursuant to SDCL 12-19-1.2. However, the candidate petition filing deadline was March 31, as established in SDCL 12-6-4, which determines the final list of candidates to appear on the ballot.
Because ballots cannot be finalized until after the petition filing deadline has passed and candidate eligibility is confirmed, additional time is required for ballot preparation, including certification, layout, programming, proofing, and printing.
This statutory timing results in a brief delay between the start of the absentee voting period and the availability of ballots.
The Auditor’s Office is working diligently to complete this process as quickly as possible. Once ballots are available:
- Absentee ballots will be mailed immediately to voters who have submitted applications
- In-person absentee voting will begin at the Auditor’s Office
- Updates will be shared through the county website, local media, and official communication channels
“Our office is committed to ensuring ballots are accurate and available as soon as possible,” said Lynn Heupel, Brown County Auditor. “This delay is a function of state law timelines that require final candidate filings before ballots can be prepared.”
Voters are encouraged to:
- Submit absentee ballot applications early
- Verify voter registration information
- Monitor official county communications for updates
The deadline to request an absentee ballot remains 5:00 p.m. the day before the election, pursuant to SDCL 12-19-2.
For more information, please contact the Brown County Auditor’s Office at 605-626-7110 or visit www.brown.sd.us .
