ENTITLED An Act to modify provisions related to county redistricting.

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

Section 1. That § 7-8-10 be AMENDED:

7-8-10. The board of county commissioners, at its regular meeting in December of each year ending in the numeral 1, or within three months of the federal decennial census data becoming available, and after giving notice by publication for one week in the official newspapers of the county, shall change the boundaries of the commissioner districts if the change is necessary in order that each district is as regular and compact in form as practicable. The board shall divide and redistrict its county that each district complies with the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, as determined by the last preceding federal decennial census; or the board may, at that time, choose to have commissioners elected at large. The board may choose to have its members elected from single-member districts, from multi-member districts, or from a hybrid plan of single- and multi-member districts.

Section 2. That § 7-8-12.3 be AMENDED:

7-8-12.3. The board of county commissioners may, within one hundred eighty days of receipt of such written order, redistrict the county's commission districts once to avoid any perceived or potential violation of state or federal law. The commissioners may change the boundaries of the commissioner districts in order that each district is as regular and compact in form as practicable and shall redistrict the county so that each commission district complies with the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, as determined by the last preceding federal decennial census; or the board may, at that time, choose to have commissioners elected at large. The board may choose to have its members elected from single-member districts, from multi-member districts, or from a hybrid plan of single- and multi-member districts. Redistricting may occur only after giving notice by publication for at least one week in the official newspapers of the county.

An Act to modify provisions related to county redistricting.