All you have to do to become a South Dakota resident is spend one night.
Stay in a campground or hotel and then stop by one of the businesses that specialize in helping people become South Dakotans, and they’ll help you do the paperwork to gain residency in a state with no income tax and relatively cheap vehicle registration.
The system brings in extra government revenue through vehicle fees and offers refuge to full-time travelers who wouldn’t otherwise have a permanent address or a place to vote.
And that’s the problem. State leaders are at a stalemate between those who say people who don’t really live in South Dakota shouldn’t be allowed to vote in local elections and those who say efforts to impose a longer residency requirement for voting violate the principle that everyone gets to vote.
And at least one state has gotten wind that its residents might be avoiding high income taxes with easy South Dakota residency and is investigating.
Catering to the nomadic lifestyle
Easy South Dakota residency for nomads has become an enterprising opportunity for businesses such as RV parks and mail forwarders.