Toby Uecker

As the end of the 2002 election cycle closes in, so does the end of voters’ chance to participate on Nov. 5.

According to the South Dakota secretary of state’s home page, those that want to vote must be registered 15 days prior to the election.

This year, that would place the registration deadline as Oct. 21, less than a week away.

Voters can register at their county courthouses as well as using on-line forms, but many civicly active organizations have also sponsored voter registration drives in recent weeks.

The College Democrats and College Republicans have each been working on voter registration, and last week the Students’ Association sponsored a breezeway table to get as many students registered as possible in the last few weeks of the election season.

The group has held several voter registration drives over the past year, focusing primarily on getting students to register in Brookings.

“You live here. Register to vote here,” is the theme that the SA’s efforts rally behind.

Students not planning to be in their county of registration on the day of the election may also request absentee ballots either from their home county courthouse or on-line. Ballots must be requested by 3:00 p.m. the day of the election and returned to the polling place before the polls close.

For more information on voter registration and absentee ballot requests, go on-line to www.state.sd.us/sos/sos.htm.