Rosebud Tribe, secretary of state settle over National Voting Registration Act violations

Annie Todd, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
·2 min read

The Rosebud Sioux Tribe has agreed to settle a lawsuit brought against the South Dakota Secretary of State Office in 2020 that alleged the office violated the National Voter Registration Act, according to recent court documents filed in federal court.

The lawsuit, filed in 2020, argued that state agencies like the Department of Public Safety and Department of Social Services were not making it easier to vote and that the secretary's office had not provided information to help agencies and county auditors comply with the 1993 law.

A federal judge ruled in May that the secretary's office was not following the law, that DPS was responsible for errors in transmitting voter registration data to county auditors and that DSS was not changing voter registration addresses for those who receive food stamps.

More: South Dakota is not following federal voter registration laws, judge rules

In the settlement, the secretary's office will implement a statewide NVRA coordinator, whose job will be to ensure that various state agencies and county election officials comply with federal law and provide guidance, according to court documents. DPS and DSS will also have NVRA coordinators.

The Secretary of State's offi will also be required to coordinate NVRA trainings for state agencies and election officials that will cover how they must comply with federal law as well as cover common voter registration and NVRA compliance problems experienced by the agencies, local offices and state residents, according to court documents.

Voter registration forms provided at driver's license stations will have updated language, including the statement, "your information will be used to update your voter registration or register you to vote," with the option to opt out using the updated information.

The two-year court battle ended with the SOS agreeing to pay $625,000 in attorneys fees for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, according to court documents.

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This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Rosebud, secretary of state settle over voting registration violations