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SECRETARY OF STATE UPDATES VOTERS ON POST-ELECTION AUDITS

 (Pierre, S.D.) – With the June 4th Primary Election quickly approaching, Secretary of State Monae L. Johnson would like to update voters on the newest process being implemented to ensure the accuracy of South Dakota’s elections: post-election audits.

Post-election audits must be conducted within fifteen days of the completion of the state canvassing of a primary or general election, which means that they will occur between June 12-26 this year. During an audit, voted ballots from five percent of the precincts in each county (randomly selected by the county auditor in front of the county canvassing board without the use of a computer) will be hand counted, and the results of the hand count will be compared with the results produced by the automatic tabulating equipment that was used in the election. All audits will be conducted by a county auditing board composed of members appointed by the county auditor. In order to provide added transparency, each county auditing board must have members from different political parties. Voters can be confident in the integrity of South Dakota’s elections. Tabulating machines, in use for over twenty years, will be verified with post-election audits by our county auditors.

“A post-election audit is another check and balance to ensure integrity of South Dakota elections,” said Secretary Johnson. “It gives voters assurance their vote was counted and that all election results can be trusted.”

Just like the mandatory tests of automatic tabulating equipment that occur before each election as well as all election-day processes, post-election audits are open to the public. We encourage everyone to go watch and participate if they get the chance. Please visit the Secretary of State’s website at https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/election-resources/post-election-audits.aspx to learn more about South Dakota’s new post-election audits.