Secretary of State Chris Nelson announced today that he has established a task force of citizens from across South Dakota to develop a "state plan" for implementation of the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA).

The recently passed federal law is intended to assist states in improving their election procedures and vote counting machinery. The law was a result of problems with elections in Florida and Missouri in 2000.

The federal law requires each state to develop a "state plan" or roadmap of how the state will comply with the federal law and improve elections in the state. Secretary of State Nelson said, "I am excited about the diverse group of people who have accepted the challenge to put this plan together. If Congress is willing to fund the requirements, the Act will provide some opportunities to enhance elections in South Dakota."

The task force will be meeting at the State Capitol on March 19 beginning at 8:15am. The meeting is open to the public and public comment is welcome. Further information on the task force is available at www.state.sd.us/sos/hava.htm .