BROOKINGS – The City of Brookings wants to ensure voters know the options available to them to exercise their right to vote, and to mitigate their exposure to COVID-19. Voters can request early/absentee ballots be mailed to them for the combined Brookings City Council/Brookings School Board election, currently scheduled for April 14.
Follow the steps below to receive your ballot by mail:
• Download and print the Absentee Ballot Application from one of the following websites: www.sdsos.gov or www.cityofbrookings.org
• Return the original, signed application to the County Finance Office, or the City Clerk’s Office. Email copies cannot be accepted. (The application must either be notarized or include a copy of an approved form of photo identification.)
• Vote your ballot when it arrives by mail and return in the provided envelope as soon as possible. Be sure to place postage on the envelope.
Absentee ballot applications can be returned to the City Clerks office via mail or placed in the payment drop box located on the west side of the City & County Government Building (envelopes should be labeled “Attn: City Clerk’s Office.”)
All absentee ballots must include a copy of an approved form of photo identification. Approved forms consist of any of the following: South Dakota driver’s license, non-driver ID card, passport or other picture ID issued by the U.S. government, tribal photo ID, or a photo ID by a South Dakota post-secondary education institution.
The following community businesses have offered their services for assisting voters with acquiring copies of their photo IDs:
• Hy-Vee Customer Service counter
• Dacotah Bank drive through
• First Bank & Trust banking drive through
• Dakotaland Federal Credit Union drive through
Absentee voted ballots must be received by 5 p.m. April 13, 2020, if the election date remains April 14.
For more information, contact City Clerk Bonnie Foster at 692-6281 or email bfoster@cityofbrookings.org. City Clerk’s mailing address: 520 Thrd St. Ste. 230, Brookings, SD 57006.
