Voters defeat hand-counting measures in South Dakota, but others might come in future

By JACK DURA
Associated Press

Voters in three small South Dakota counties on Tuesday defeated measure to require hand-counting of all ballots in future elections. The votes in Gregory, Haakon and Tripp counties might not be the only ones in South Dakota to prohibit tabulating machines and require hand-counting. Citizens in dozens of other counties have been circulating petitions to force similar votes. The hand-counting movement comes in the wake of former President Donald Trump’s claims of 2020 election fraud. Election experts say hand-counting isn’t as accurate as tabulating machines. Other places in the U.S. have considered moving to hand-counting, but the votes in South Dakota were an unusual step.