Bill > SB215

This bill establishes a pilot program in South Dakota to test a secured cryptographically end-to-end verifiable voting system, which is a system that uses encryption to ensure votes are cast, recorded, and counted accurately and can be independently verified by the voter without revealing their choices. This program will be available to absentee voters and those covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, and no more than three election jurisdictions can participate. Before a jurisdiction can join, its election officials must get approval from the local governing body and then notify the Secretary of State, specifying the system chosen and any laws that might conflict with its implementation. The Secretary of State and Attorney General will review these conflicting laws, waiving only those truly incompatible with the new system, but they cannot waive laws related to voter eligibility, registration, or election day procedures. The pilot program will run until December 31, 2028, and during this time, election results cannot be decrypted until after polls close, with violations being a Class 2 Misdemeanor, and participating jurisdictions will not be required to provide paper absentee ballots. The bill also details strict requirements for the voting system itself, including how it must authenticate voters, encrypt ballots, provide voters with a verifiable record, and allow for independent verification of election integrity, and outlines agreements that vendors must make, such as allowing audits of the system's source code under controlled conditions. The State Board of Elections will create rules for absentee voting under this program, and the Secretary of State will report to the Government Operations and Audit Committee on participating jurisdictions and waived laws.

Government Affairs

https://sdlegislature.gov/#/Session/Bill/27259