As part of a national voting movement, South Dakota’s Secretary of State tours some area colleges this week. Tuesday marks National Voter Registration Day, and Secretary of State Jason Gant has events scheduled at four southeast South Dakota locations.
South Dakota’s absentee voting season is in full swing just more than a month before the November elections. Gant says more than 500,000 South Dakotans are already registered to vote. While some people are already completing ballots, others aren’t even registered. Jason Gant says he wants to change that, so he’s visiting colleges in the state to encourage young people to fill out a form now so they can vote.
"The older generation, maybe the fifty years and over, they have a very solid voting record. Those maybe under, the 30-year-olds and under, it may not be as prevalent," Gant says. "But I think it’s important that we encourage everyone to get out there and register to vote."
Gant says people who aren’t registered to vote have to turn in the registration form at least 15 days before election day if they want to cast their ballots.
Gant plans his stops to coincide with National Voter Registration Day. His stops Tuesday include South Dakota State University in Brookings and Augustana College and Kilian Community College in Sioux Falls. He wraps up his voter registration tour at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.
Below is the Secretary of State's tentative schedule for his tour on Tuesday, September 25, 2012.
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. – South Dakota State University, Brookings
10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. – Kilian College Opportunities Fair, Sioux Falls
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Augustana College, Sioux Falls
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. – University of South Dakota, Vermillion