Voting After A Felony
SDCL § 12-4-18 — removed from the rolls while serving a felony sentence, and restored to full citizenship on discharge
A voter serving a sentence for a felony conviction is removed from the voter registration records. The voting rights of anyone sentenced to the state prison are governed by the election title.
On discharge. An inmate discharged from the sentence is considered restored to the full rights of citizenship, and receives a certificate saying so from the secretary of corrections.
Removed from the rolls means registering again. A particular record is a question for the county auditor or a licensed South Dakota attorney.
Sources for this section (3)
- SDCL § 12-4-18 — Persons declared mentally incompetent, deceased, or serving sentence for felony conviction; Removed from registration records; Promulgation of rules; Certification
- SDCL § 24-5-2 — Restoration to citizenship on discharge; Certificate issued by secretary of corrections; Copy to clerk of court
- SDCL § 23A-27-35 — Suspension of civil rights on sentence to state correctional facility; Prisoner as witness; Restoration of rights; Voting rights
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed South Dakota attorney.