SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — With the November 2022 election swiftly approaching, voters in Minnehaha County should take steps to make sure they know where they are voting come November.
Though redistricting has occurred since the last election cycle, delays, including that of obtaining census data, has led Minnehaha County to keep its existing voting precinct boundaries. This has resulted in a number of split-districts, precincts that fall within more than one district.
What this means is that voters in some districts may need to travel to another district to cast their vote.
One example of this is voters in Precinct 5-14, half of which lies in District 12, with the other half falling in District 15. This election, Precinct 5-14 voters who live in District 15 will have to vote at their polling place within District 12. As a result, this polling place will have two sets of ballots on hand, one for District 12, and the other for District 15.
Minnehaha County Auditor Ben Kyte says that redrawing precinct boundaries will be a top priority for the Auditor’s office in 2023, and that in the meantime, poll workers are receiving education to ensure that voters are not given the incorrect ballot in locations where multiple variations are present.
Such a thing did happen back in June during the primary elections, when 21 Sioux Falls voters received the incorrect ballot.
Kyte says that voters themselves can help eliminate any potential mistakes with ballots. To do so, he recommends doing some cursory research on the South Dakota Secretary of State’s voter information portal, where you can find your district, your voting location and view a sample ballot.
Familiarizing yourself with the candidates in your district can be a good way to make sure that you have received the correct ballot when you go to vote.
You can view a list of precinct voting locations, here.
