South Dakota’s Proof-of-Citizenship Law Left 1,500 Voters With Restricted Ballots
At least 1,500 South Dakota voters were classified as “federal-only” voters before the June 2, 2026 primary election, according to a South Dakota Searchlight analysis of voter registration data. Those voters could cast ballots in federal races but were locked out of state and local contests.
The source of the problem is Senate Bill 175, signed by Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden in March 2026. The law requires first-time registrants to show proof of citizenship through a birth certificate, passport, driver’s license, non-driver’s ID, or tribal identification card. It also strips full ballot access from voters who lack a physical South Dakota address, directing them to federal-only ballots regardless of long-term ties to the state.
1,500 South Dakota voters were designated federal-only ahead of the June 2, 2026 primary, per South Dakota Searchlight voter registration data analysis.
That federal-only designation is not just a technicality. Voters restricted to federal ballots cannot weigh in on school boards, county commissions, state legislative races, or ballot measures that directly shape their communities.
League of Women Voters Petitioned for 8 Rule Changes to Address the Law’s Gaps
The League of Women Voters petitioned the state Board of Elections on June 30, 2026 to adopt eight new rules addressing what a League member called a “hastily constructed bill allowed to become a poorly constructed law.” Advocates for sexual assault and domestic violence survivors, disability rights organizations, civil rights groups, and tribal representatives joined the League during roughly two hours of testimony in Pierre.
The proposed rules would make concrete changes. They would allow photocopies or photos of tribal and state-issued IDs as proof of citizenship. They would expand tribal ID recognition beyond South Dakota’s nine tribes to all federally recognized tribes nationwide. They would also let federal-only voters cast provisional ballots in local races while appealing their status, and require clearer language on registration forms warning applicants that lacking a physical state address triggers the federal-only designation.
Each of those gaps was present in the original law. The rule proposals do not repeal SB 175; they ask the Board of Elections to fill in what the legislature left blank.
What You Can Do Now
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Call the South Dakota Legislature’s main line at (605) 773-3251 and ask your state representative and senator to sponsor legislation correcting SB 175’s proof-of-citizenship gaps, specifically the tribal ID restrictions and the lack of provisional ballot access for federal-only voters during appeals.
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Contact Gov. Larry Rhoden’s office at (605) 773-3212 and urge him to direct the Board of Elections to adopt the League of Women Voters’ eight proposed rules in full before the 2026 general election.
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Find your South Dakota state legislators at sdlegislature.gov/Legislators and send a written message asking them to hold hearings on the 1,500 voters disenfranchised in the June 2 primary. Name the specific ask: provisional ballots for federal-only voters during eligibility appeals.
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If you or someone you know was designated federal-only in error, contact the League of Women Voters of South Dakota at lwvsd.org to document your case. The Board of Elections rulemaking process requires public comment, and individual voter stories are part of the formal record.
Sources
South Dakota Searchlight: Group Wants Help for Voters Affected by Proof-of-Citizenship Law
South Dakota Searchlight: 1,500 Federal-Only Voter Registrations Ahead of SD Primary Election
Brennan Center for Justice: Proof-of-Citizenship Voting Laws and Their Impact on Eligible Voters
ACLU: Challenges to Proof-of-Citizenship Requirements in Voter Registration