South Dakota residents are casting their ballots today to conclude an election cycle featuring a mayoral runoff in the state’s largest municipality, a gubernatorial primary runoff, and combined primary, school, and municipal contests. As sdnewswatch.org reported, early voting numbers have set the stage for Election Day.
Early Voting Surges and Registration Totals Across Counties
Voters across South Dakota have already cast tens of thousands of ballots ahead of Tuesday. As of Oct. 30, the Secretary of State’s office reported that 78,788 South Dakotans had voted early. That total includes 37,323 walk-in absentee ballots cast directly at county auditor offices, alongside mail-in returns. Across the United States, early voting totals have reached 48 million, surpassing every previous midterm election.
Party registration numbers tell a parallel story of shifting political engagement. Ahead of the primary season, closed-primary rules fueled a spike in registration. By the July 28 gubernatorial runoff, Republican registration was at an all-time high in the state with 328,829 voters. By the time registration closed for the general election, that number ticked upward to 331,782. Meanwhile, Independent and non-party affiliated voters total 157,580, Democrats account for 135,276 registrants, and Libertarians stand at 2,793.
Voters preparing to cast ballots can confirm their designated precincts using the South Dakota Secretary of State’s Voter Information Portal.
Federal Monitors and Local Observers at Polling Places
Representatives from the United States Department of Justice will be deployed to watch voters at polling places. Federal election monitors will be in Minnehaha County in Sioux Falls.
State officials emphasized that these federal monitors will not interfere in the process. According to press releases from the Secretary of State’s office, monitors will not speak to voters inside polling places or carry firearms. They are limited to observing, taking notes, and reporting concerns through their designated DOJ leadership while following state and local election laws.
Alongside the federal presence, volunteer election observers from the American Civil Liberties Union’s South Dakota chapter will also monitor polling locations in Aberdeen, Rapid City, and Sioux Falls.
Samantha Chapman, advocacy manager for the South Dakota ACLU told News Watch that not much should change with federal election observers in the picture as long as both voters and poll workers know their rights.
The Governor’s Race Following an Unprecedented Runoff
The executive branch contest features Larry Rhoden against Democratic challenger Dan Ahlers. In the primary election, Doeden secured 31% of the vote and Rhoden earned 25%, sending both candidates to a July 28 runoff—marking the state’s first primary runoff since legislation authorizing them was passed in 1985. Rhoden now meets Democrat Dan Ahlers in the general election.
Polling data sponsored by South Dakota News Watch and the Chiesman Center for Democracy at USD shows Rhoden leads challenger Ahlers 56-36% among likely voters surveyed by Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy. Ahlers formally announced his campaign in February, four months after Rhoden, and the two candidates met for two debates in the run-up to the election.
Federal Legislative Showdowns in the House and Senate
In the race for U.S. Senate, incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, who’s seeking his third term, leads challenger Independent Brian Bengs 56-37%.
For U.S. House, Republican Marty Jackley is South Dakota’s attorney general. He leads Democrat Nicki Gronli 60-32%. Gronli was formerly the state’s director for the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program.
State Legislature and Statewide Constitutional Measures
All 105 seats in the South Dakota Legislature are up for election this year. Thirty-five senators, one from each district, and 70 representatives, two from each district, will be elected. Sixty-three current legislators, about 60% of the body, are among those running for re-election this year.
Beyond candidates, voters face choices on ballot measures including a measure that clarifies voter eligibility, a measure to set up an unclaimed property fund, a measure to change Medicaid coverage, and Amendment L, which would require 60% of the vote to amend the constitution.
