South Dakota Legislature Sends Strict Residency Bill to Governor
UPDATE: On Tuesday, March 21, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) signed Senate Bill 139 into law.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, March 2, the South Dakota Senate passed an amended version of Senate Bill 139, a bill that would impose a strict residency requirement to register to vote. Now that it has passed both chambers, S.B. 139 heads to Gov. Kristi Noem’s (R) desk for her signature.
S.B. 139 would require individuals to live in South Dakota for at least 30 days before they can register to vote. Since South Dakota doesn’t offer same-day registration and instead requires voters to register at least 15 days before an election, S.B. 139 effectively means that anyone who moves to South Dakota within 45 days of an election would be ineligible to vote in that election. The bill also requires the voter to reside at “an actual fixed permanent dwelling, establishment, or any other abode.”