The SDDP Urges Secretary of State Krebs and Oglala Lakota County Auditor to Change Oglala Lakota County Absentee Voting Location
The South Dakota Democratic Party today called upon South Dakota Secretary of State Shantel Krebs and Fall River/Oglala Lakota County Auditor Sue Ganje to change the early voting location in Oglala Lakota County from the SuAnne Big Crow Center in light of the homicide which took place at the center this past weekend.
“The right to vote is one of the most basic and important rights in a democracy,” said Henry Red Cloud, Oglala Sioux Tribal Member and Democratic Candidate for Public Utilities Commission. “When people are unable to exercise that right, or feel uncomfortable exercising that right because they fear for their safety at their polling location, our democracy is diminished.”
Executive Director of the South Dakota Democratic Party Suzanne Jones Pranger said,
“The current early voting location is unsuitable and inaccessible to voters because it is several miles outside the town of Pine Ridge, there is construction on the road to the location causing up to 45 minute travel delays, the road construction makes walking to the location unsafe, and a shooting occurred at the location this past weekend. We have been in talks with the Secretary of State and County Auditor about relocating the absentee voting location in Oglala Lakota County and are hopeful they will move the location as soon as possible to another suggested location that does not unreasonably burden voters.”
Early voting in South Dakota runs through November 7. A picture of the traffic backup on the route to the current early voting location is below.
