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Bill allowing Native American voter registration with tribal ID cards passes committee [1]

['Makenzie Huber', 'More From Author', '- January']

Date: 2024-02

A bill that would allow Native Americans in South Dakota to register to vote using their tribal identification cards passed the Senate State Affairs Committee unanimously on Wednesday in Pierre.

Tribal citizens can currently use their tribal ID card as proof of identification when they show up to cast a ballot. But current law does not allow them to register to vote with such identification. When registering, potential voters must provide their driver license number, state-issued non-driver ID number or the last four digits of their Social Security number to register.

The bill would allow the use of tribal IDs by members of federally recognized tribes that enter into an agreement with the secretary of state, who is the top election official in South Dakota.

The bill strikes a balance between tribes “coming to the table on behalf of their members” while still allowing the Secretary of State’s Office to “do their due diligence and safeguard the process,” said Rep. Tyler Tordsen, R-Sioux Falls, in support. Tordsen is a member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate.

The secretary of state supports the bill, as do representatives from the Yankton and Rosebud Sioux tribes. Rosebud tribal member Sen. Shawn Bordeaux, D-Mission, introduced the bill.

Since the bill was unanimously approved by the committee, it’ll be placed on the Senate consent calendar, where it won’t be subjected to debate before a vote unless it’s moved to the regular calendar.

Three other bills introduced by Bordeaux failed in Senate State Affairs on Wednesday:

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[1] Url: https://southdakotasearchlight.com/briefs/sd-legislature-native-american-voter-registration-tribal-identification/

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