{"data":{"id":"us-sd/sdcl-12-19-44","jurisdiction":"us-sd","citation":"SDCL § 12-19-44","heading":"Counting process open to poll watchers--Reasonable distance--Records associating voter with ballot prohibited--Penalty.","body":"The process of sorting, validating, processing, and counting absentee ballots must be open to poll watchers for the purpose of observing the process.\nA poll watcher shall keep a reasonable distance from ballots and identification information to protect the privacy of absentee voters. No record associating an individual voter with a ballot may be created.\nA violation of this section is a Class 2 misdemeanor.","path":["TITLE 12. ELECTIONS","CHAPTER 12-19. ABSENTEE VOTING"],"source_url":"https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/12-19-44","current_through":"2026-08-31","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-03T15:18:56Z","sha256":"36b33c50ed7a451ad9088582446ff900874dff94519426ce1b9d72091fe91879","source_id":"us-sd","stale":true,"prev":"us-sd/sdcl-12-19-43","next":"us-sd/sdcl-12-19-45"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}