An Act to revise requirements to relocate a county seat.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of South Dakota:

Section 1. That § 7-6-4 be AMENDED:

7-6-4. If fifteenTo relocate a county seat, a petition signed by twenty percent of the registered voters of the county, based upon the total number of registered voters at the last preceding general election, of any organized county petition the board of must be filed with the county commissioners to change the location of the county seat which has once been located by majority vote, specifying the place to which it is to be changed, auditor on or before July first. The county auditor shall, within thirty days of receiving the petition, verify that the signatures on the petition are registered voters of the county. A signature on a petition is invalid if signed more than six months before the date the petition is filed.

If the county auditor verifies that the petition meets the requirements of this section, the board of county commissioners shall submit the same question of relocating the county seat to the people of the county at the next general election.Notice

The county auditor shall publish notice of the submission of the question shall be included in the notice published once by the county auditor giving notice of the time and place of holding with the general election notices required by § 12-12-1.

Section 2. That § 7-6-7 be AMENDED:

7-6-7. It shall be the duty of If the question to relocate the county seat is approved by the voters as specified in § 7-6-5, the county officers whose offices are required by law to be kept at the county seat, to shall remove their respective offices, files, records, office fixtures, furniture, and all other property pertaining to their offices to the county seat designated by the voters within thirty days one year after such county seat shall have been designated by the voters the date of an election held under the provisions of this chapter or the end of any recount, certiorari proceeding, or election contest, whichever is latest.