South Dakota is the latest to join a growing list of states that have collectively removed thousands of noncitizens from voter rolls.
South Dakota has removed 273 noncitizens from its voter rolls as part of a review to ensure the integrity of its elections.
The correction was initiated by the state’s public safety department, according to South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson.
“Ensuring the integrity of our elections is our highest priority,” Johnson said in a statement on Oct. 7. “We are proud of the thorough work done to safeguard South Dakota’s voter rolls. We worked closely with [the South Dakota Department of Public Safety] to resolve this issue, and we’re constantly working to make sure that only eligible citizens are participating in our elections.”
There are 682,031 registered voters in South Dakota, with 617,396 considered active, according to Johnson’s office. The number of noncitizens found to have been on the rolls is equal to about one in every 2,500 registrants, or 0.04 percent. Early voting by casting absentee ballots is already underway.
The move drew criticism from the South Dakota chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which accused the state of violating a 90-day blackout period specified in the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).
The NVRA allows states to “systematically” clean their voter rolls, but this process must be completed no later than 90 days before a general election for federal office. Nevertheless, the 90-day deadline does not preclude states from removing ineligible voters on an individualized basis.
Warning that a “blanket purge” could result in erroneous removals, the South Dakota ACLU called for transparency regarding the circumstances surrounding the 273 individuals removed from the voter rolls. It also urged the immediate reinstatement of any eligible voters who may have been wrongfully removed.
“The risk of disenfranchising eligible voters at this late stage is simply too high when voters have a mere 13 days before the voter registration deadline,” Samantha Chapman, South Dakota ACLU’s advocacy manager, said in a statement on Oct. 8.
South Dakota is the latest state to join a growing list of others that have collectively removed thousands of noncitizens from their voter rolls in the months ahead of November’s presidential election.
On Oct. 8, Oregon officials said they identified an additional 302 people on the state’s voter rolls who lacked proof of citizenship when they registered to vote. This issue was attributed to a technical error in state agencies automatically registering driver’s license applicants to vote.
As a result, the number of suspected noncitizens registered to vote in Oregon increased to 1,561 from an earlier reported figure of 1,259. Among those flagged as ineligible, nine individuals had cast ballots in elections since 2021.
In May, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said his office found 137 voter registrations assigned to those who had “twice confirmed” their noncitizen status with the state’s driver and motor vehicle services.
Three months later, LaRose’s office reported the discovery of 499 more noncitizens who were wrongly registered, including 138 who had cast ballots in elections.
In Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin revealed in an Aug. 7 executive order that his administration had canceled the voter registrations of 6,303 noncitizens between January 2022 and July 2024.
Similarly, Texas has removed 6,500 suspected noncitizens from its voter rolls since 2021, Gov. Greg Abbott announced in the same month.