12-6-4. Petition required to place candidate's name on primary ballot--Time and place of filing. Except as provided by § 12-5-4 and as may be otherwise provided in chapter 12-9, no candidate for any office to be filled, or nomination to be made, at either or both the primary or general election, other than a presidential election, may have that person's name printed upon the official primary election ballot of that person's party, unless a petition has been filed on that person's behalf after December thirty-first and by the last Tuesday of March at five p.m. local time before the date of the primary election. If the petition is mailed by registered mail by the last Tuesday of March at five p.m. local time before the primary election, the petition shall be considered timely submitted. A nominating petition for national convention delegates and alternates as provided in § 12-5-3.11 shall be filed in accordance with the provisions of this section. Nominating petitions for all party and public offices except legislative and judicial offices shall be filed in the office of the county auditor of the county in which the person is a candidate. Nominating petitions for legislative and judicial office whether elected in one or more counties, and all other party and public offices to be voted on in more than one county shall be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State.

Source: SDC 1939, § 16.0210; SL 1939, ch 75; SL 1957, ch 83, § 1; SL 1961, ch 93, § 1; SL 1971, ch 84; SL 1973, ch 74, § 3; SL 1977, ch 108, § 1; SL 1986, ch 115, § 5; SL 1997, ch 75, § 6; SL 2007, ch 81, § 9; SL 2015, ch 77, § 1 rejected Nov. 8, 2016; SL 2017, ch 69, § 2.