South Dakota Supreme Court includes 100+ ballots in June election initially excluded in results

The South Dakota Supreme Court denied a bid to exclude 132 absentee ballots from the state's June election after the votes were initially rejected.

Last month, the court was asked by a conservative election group's leader and an unsuccessful Republican legislative candidate to require Minnehaha County's top elections official to “revert to the unofficial vote count totals” that excluded the 132 ballots and “conduct a thorough review” of two precincts' registered voters, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.

On Friday, the court denied the request, allowing the ballots to be included, which a recount board later did.

South Dakota Canvassing President Jessica Pollema challenged ballots in two precincts in June. She claimed that there were incomplete voter registration forms or forms with addresses that were not where the voters lived, which violates state and federal law. While one precinct board denied her challenges, the other, which is represented by all Democrats, rejected 132 of 164 ballots she challenged.

South Dakota's secretary of state's office advised a county official that the items challenged didn't meet requirements of state law.