County Auditors across South Dakota are frustrated with the South Dakota Secretary of State’s Office regarding the availability of ballots to kick off absentee voting for the upcoming June 2nd primary and local elections.
Davison County Auditor Kathy Wingert is pulling-no punches. “Lack of communication and accountability from the Secretary of State’s office is just causing issues,” said Wingert.
Which is frustrating. “I still have yet to have approval to officially print my ballot and to get them,” she said.
Wingert’s message to concerned voters: “Davison County stands by election integrity and privacy to the voters,” Wingert stressed. “The Secretary of State’s office had advised us to use ballot proofs that have yet to be approved as our sample ballots and I’m absolutely not okay with that.”
Wingert says there’s a lot at stake locally because the Mitchell City Council as well as the Mitchell and Ethan School Board elections are included on the ballots.
Once approved, the ballots will be printed in Omaha and shipped to Mitchell. Wingert is unsure when that will happen. She says her office will distribute them as soon as possible.