Helpful tips when voting with an absentee ballot

RAPID CITY, S.D. — If you’re thinking about voting by mail, this is a good time to request an absentee ballot.

To date in Pennington County, almost one-quarter of the 86,000 registered voters have requested absentee ballots.

Absentee voting begins this Friday, September 18, and the Pennington County Auditor’s Office estimates it will send out another 10,000 ballots before all is said and done. The auditor’s office reminds mail-in voters to allow plenty of time to have the ballot reach them, no later than a week before election day on November 3.

“If we get an absentee ballot request on the Monday before the election, if it’s somebody local, we will mail it out because there is a chance they’ll get it on Tuesday and then they can bring it directly down to our office and drop it off in our drop box,” said Pennington County Auditor, Cindy Mohler.

Common mistakes the auditor’s office sees is a lack of signature on the back of the ballot envelope, which is required to have the vote counted.

If you do request an absentee ballot, you can track its progress on The Secretary of State’s website here.