Yankton Press and Dakotan. January 25, 2021.
Editorial: SD Voter Registration Bill Gets Gutted
Making the voting process more convenient for voters came into sharp focus last year as this nation held an election amid a pandemic. During that time, state and local officials took long looks at the mechanics of the process in order to find ways to better serve the public.
Obviously, one important aspect of the voting process is the very first step: getting people registered to vote.
Simplifying that procedure was the intent of South Dakota Senate Bill 24, a proposal from the office of the Secretary of State to allow for online voting registration. This is not radically new technology, as more than 40 states already provide this service.
But, lawmakers weren’t ready for that step forward.
Last Friday, the Senate State Affairs Committee wound up passing SB24, but not before adopting an amendment that essentially gutted the proposal. Instead of providing for online registration, SB24 would now only allow already-registered voters to change their address online.
This was a disappointing decision.
Adding to the frustration is the fact that Friday’s committee hearing featured testimony from various entities - including Secretary of State Steve Barnett, AARP and several tribes, according to KELO - in support of the change, while no one offered any testimony against the bill.
Nevertheless, Sen. Jim Bolin (R-Canton) proposed the aforementioned amendment, which turned what could have been a productive upgrade in the voting registration process into little more than a tweak of existing law. The amendment passed 6-3, with Sen. Kyle Schoenfish (R-Scotland) among those opposing it.
Ultimately, the amended version of SB24 passed on an 8-1 vote.
The fact that the bill was virtually neutered despite the support voiced for it and the total lack of opposition presents a picture of lawmakers perhaps having a slightly different agenda on this issue than the public they serve.
And that may loom as an even greater concern. How many more times will our lawmakers choose to follow their own courses instead of heeding the will of the public? SB24 may have been just a small test of that question, but the first return isn’t promising.
However, back to the original point: The actual measure, as amended, does provide a little added convenience for voters already registered, but it would have been much better and much more practical in its original form.
We hope this idea resurfaces again and gets a more open-minded consideration.
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