Section 12-20-2 - Opening of ballot box--Sorting and counting of unopened ballots--Ballotsfolded together. - South Dakota Statutes

12-20-2. Opening of ballot box--Sorting and counting of unopened ballots--Ballots folded together. The box shall be opened and the ballots taken out, sorted so that all ballots on certain candidacies and issues are separately identified, and counted by the members of the precinct election board unopened, except to ascertain if each ballot is single. If two or more ballots are found folded together and present the appearance of a single ballot, the ballots shall be laid aside until the count of ballots is completed. Upon the comparison of the count with the pollbook and registration list, or in machine precincts, with the number of return envelopes from absentee voters, and the appearance of the ballots, if a majority of the members of the precinct election board are of the opinion that the ballots folded together were voted by one voter, the ballot shall be endorsed, duplicate ballot of one voter not counted. If the ballot count does not agree with the number of votes in the pollbook, a comparison of the voters in the pollbook and the registration list shall be made and the correction of any mistakes shall be made.

Source: SDC 1939, § 16.1701; SL 1974, ch 118, § 150; SL 1978, ch 102, § 1; SL 1993, ch 113, § 14; SL 1999, ch 69, § 40.