Absentee voting, commonly referred to as early voting, begins today in South Dakota for the November 4th general election.

People can mark ballots at courthouses or vote by mail.  About 20 percent of all South Dakota voters used the absentee process in the 2006 general election.  The deadline to register to vote in the coming general election is October 20th.

South Dakota had the second-highest voter turnout in the nation in 2006 -- at 63 percent. Minnesota was first -- at 65 percent.  Turnout was 54 percent in North Dakota, 51 percent in Nebraska, and 55 percent in Iowa.