Early Voting Begins Across The State

by Jill Johnson
September 21, 2012 5:30 PM


The general election is 46 days away. But early voting in South Dakota is already underway. Whether it's done via mail or in person, many say it's the way to go.

In Minnehaha County, business is steady. One of their first customers on Friday: Marilyn Young and her husband Jerry.

Young said, "We're leaving in two weeks to go to Arizona."

For the past 22 years, the couple has chosen to spend their winters in warmer weather. But heading south means heading to the polls early.

"We always vote so we wanted to be sure we voted before we left," said Young.

But unlike these two some do it to avoid the crowd, others because it's simply more convenient.

Minnehaha Co. Auditor Bob Litz said, "It's everybody, it's everybody. Folks come down here and do business with driver's licenses, if they want to get their car license, they come down here they can also do that, it's just convenient to come down here."

Given you are a registered voter, it's as easy as taking a seat, handing them your id, filling out an application and putting your thoughts down on paper.

"It was very easy, there wasn't a line at all that we had to wait."

Right now the auditors office says there are about 107,000 registered voters in Minnehaha County. Out of those voters, they say 17-18,000 people are expected to cast their ballot early. The last presidential election year, in 2008, there was about 14,000.

Litz said, "I think there's a little more charge about this year's election, you know the presidential election there's a lot of excitement this year about it, a lot of opinion and I think they're just gunna, people are gunna vote that just normally don't vote."

Being that it's so easy, some say there's no excuse.

Young said, "We've always felt that you have no right to crab if you didn't vote and the wrong person got in."

In Sioux Falls, people can vote at the Minnehaha County Administration Building Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or they can request an absentee ballot online which will be sent to your home address. When the election gets closer, the building will open early on Saturdays.