Monae Johnson's Mismanagement Leaves County Auditors Scrambling

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 16, 2026

Pierre, SD – It is unacceptable that absentee ballots in several counties will not be ready by Friday, the day absentee voting was supposed to start. Because of Secretary of State Monae Johnson's mismanagement, county auditor offices across the state are scrambling to get ballots ready on time. The South Dakota Democratic Party is demanding transparency and accountability from Johnson.

South Dakota law is clear: early and absentee voting is required by state statute to begin no later than 46 days before the election, and ballots must be printed 48 days beforehand. South Dakota county auditors know the law, and they have followed the law. It is the Secretary of State's office that made compliance nearly impossible.

"Due to Republican incompetence in Pierre, county auditor offices have been left in a state of chaos," said SDDP Deputy Director Joe Zweifel. "The failure from the Secretary of State's office to fulfill their duties is more than a simple scheduling error. This is an utter failure to administer South Dakota's elections under the watch of Secretary of State Monae Johnson. Voters deserve an election system that works; not one where county auditors are left asking which law they're allowed to break. The South Dakota Democratic Party stands with every auditor working overtime to make absentee voting accessible, and with every voter who should be able to cast their ballot without chaos or confusion."

Voters who want to request an absentee ballot or check their registration status can visit sdsos.gov or contact their county auditor's office directly.

For questions, please contact Krista Burns, Communications Director for the SD Democratic Party at krista@sddp.org or 651-345-8731.

Paid for by the South Dakota Democratic Party | www.sddp.org