A federal court has approved a settlement agreement in Rosebud Sioux Tribe v. Barnett, resolving a lawsuit challenging the State of South Dakota’s numerous violations of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). The agreement will expand voter registration opportunities for all South Dakota residents, particularly in Native American communities.

On May 26, a federal judge ruled that the South Dakota has committed numerous violations of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), depriving Native voters and others of federally-mandated voter registration services at driver’s license offices and public assistance agencies.

On May 17, in an important ruling in Rosebud Sioux Tribe v. Barnett, a South Dakota federal judge denied the State of South Dakota’s motion to dismiss claims that the State has violated the National Voter Registration Act brought by the Rosebud and Oglala Sioux tribes, the Lakota People’s Law Project, and two individuals.