Early and absentee voting for the June 2 primary election is beginning in some South Dakota counties after a delayed start, though many remain in limbo awaiting ballots.

Davison County, which includes Mitchell, was one of the first in the state to open early voting. The county started about an hour after receiving ballots on Wednesday morning, said Auditor Kathy Wingert.

Minnehaha, Lincoln and Pennington County auditors said on Wednesday that they received ballots. There has been no word on ballots in Lake County yet. 

Early voting was supposed to start last Friday. County auditors have been waiting for the state to certify candidates, which delayed ballot printing as the intended start of early voting approached.

The staggered rollout of early voting has left voters with unequal access and has caused widespread confusion.

State law requires auditors to begin early voting within 48 hours of receiving ballots.

By the end of the first full week of early and absentee voting for South Dakota’s 2024 primary election, 1,857 ballots had been cast either in person or through the mail.