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HB 1324SOUTH DAKOTASession 2026State Billdead
Did Not Advance

South Dakota Bill 1324 abolishes the State Board of Elections and transfers rulemaking authority to the secretary of state

Original title: abolish the State Board of Elections.

Last action · February 19, 2026: Deferred to the 41st legislative daySponsors: Aaron Aylward and 6 others

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Proposed

This bill abolishes the State Board of Elections, transfers its rulemaking and petition-prescription duties to the secretary of state, and mandates that county auditors provide Sioux-dialect interpreters in precincts meeting specific language minority thresholds, effective January 1, 2027.

Why it matters

The measure consolidates state-level election administration authority under a single elected official while imposing new language-translation mandates and costs on county general funds.

Who It Would Have Affected

Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Secretary of State

Assumes all rulemaking, petition-prescription, and complaint-resolution duties formerly handled by the State Board of Elections.

Directly affected

County Auditors

Must provide Sioux-dialect interpreters when notified by the secretary of state and adjust voter registration and list maintenance procedures.

Directly affected

Petition Sponsors

Must follow petition form, filing, and circulator handout requirements prescribed directly by the secretary of state.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens to the State Board of Elections under this bill?
The bill abolishes the State Board of Elections entirely and reassigns its duties, including rulemaking and petition approvals, to the secretary of state.
Are absentee ballot drop boxes still permitted?
No. The bill prohibits the establishment or placement of es within any official's jurisdiction and makes violations a Class 2 misdemeanor.
What new language assistance requirements are imposed on counties?
County auditors must provide an interpreter proficient in both the local Sioux dialect and English in each precinct if the county meets specific American Indian reservation or language minority population thresholds.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

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Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.

Procedural history

4 actions
  1. Feb 19, 2026House
    Deferred to the 41st legislative day
  2. Feb 19, 2026House
    Scheduled for hearing
  3. Feb 5, 2026HouseCommittee
    Referred to
  4. Feb 4, 2026HouseIntroduced
    First Reading House

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Aaron AylwardHouseRepublicanPrimary sponsor
Heather BaxterHouseRepublicanCosponsor
Travis IsmayHouseRepublicanCosponsor
Phil JensenHouseRepublicanCosponsor
Dylan JordanHouseRepublicanCosponsor
Show 2 more sponsors
Tony KayserHouseRepublicanCosponsor
Tom PischkeSenate · District 25RepublicanCosponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift99% confidence

Centralization of Election Administration

The legislation shifts primary regulatory and administrative power from a multi-member board to a single elected official, the secretary of state.

State Board of Electionssecretary of state

Connected Entities

Department of Health, secretary of state, United States Postal Service and 5 more
OrganizationDepartment of Health“Maintains vital statistics death records used for voter list maintenance”Map →
Organizationsecretary of state“Assumes duties previously held by the State Board of Elections”Map →
OrganizationUnited States Postal Service“Provides national change of address licensee data”Map →
OrganizationUnified Judicial System“Verifies protection orders for secured active designations”Map →
OrganizationGovernment Oversight and Accountability Committee“Recipient of annual voter removal reports”Map →
OrganizationDepartment of Public Safety“Prescribes signature cards for driver license voter registration”Map →
OrganizationSocial Security Administration“Maintains master death file used for voter list matching”Map →
OrganizationState Board of Elections“Board slated for abolition under the bill”Map →

Sources

Open source document

sdlegislature.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance20
    Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 85)
  • Controversy75
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz60
    Current news / social attention level

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