Election Day · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
How to vote in South Dakota
The deadlines, early voting, mail ballots and ID rules for South Dakota, and what happens after the polls close. Every fact links to the South Dakota Secretary of State or the law it comes from. Rules change, and courts sometimes change them close to an election, so confirm anything you are relying on with the state.
Checked against official sources on October 8.
Key dates
- Register online by
Online registration is not available
No online registration.
- Register by mail by
Monday, October 19
Received, not postmarked: the signed form must reach your county auditor by 5 p.m. local time 15 days before the election (SDCL 12-4-5). Fax and email are not accepted.
- Register in person by
Monday, October 19
Computed: 5 p.m. local time at your county auditor's office, 15 days before the election.
- Same-day registration
No
South Dakota does not allow same-day registration.
- Early voting
Friday, September 18 to Monday, November 2
Absentee voting begins 46 days before the election (SDCL 12-19-1.2).
- How early voting works
South Dakota has no separate early-voting period. Instead, from September 18 any registered voter can vote an absentee ballot in person at their county auditor's office during office hours, until 5 p.m. on November 2.
- Request a mail ballot by
Not confirmed yet — check with the South Dakota Secretary of State.
- Return your mail ballot by
Tuesday, November 3
Received, not postmarked: the county auditor must receive the ballot before polls close on Election Day (SDCL 12-19-12). A postmark is not enough.
- Election Day polling hours
7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Local time. Anyone at the polling place by closing time can vote.
Voting by mail
- Who can vote by mail
Any voter can vote by mail
The state says absentee voting is for voters 'unable to attend' their polling place, but no reason is asked for: any registered voter may apply.
- Ballots arriving after Election Day
Not counted — your ballot must arrive by the deadline
Ballots arriving after polls close are not opened or counted (SDCL 12-19-12).
ID at the polls
- The rule
Photo ID requested
A voter must show a photo ID, but one without it may sign a personal identification affidavit and vote a regular ballot (SDCL 12-18-6.1, 12-18-6.2).
- What to bring
Show a South Dakota driver's license or nondriver ID, a U.S. passport or other federal photo ID, a tribal photo ID, or a current photo student ID from a South Dakota high school or college. Without one, you can sign an affidavit under penalty of perjury and still vote.
When will we know results in South Dakota?
How fast results come in depends mostly on when the polls close and when election officials are allowed to start on mail ballots. Totals shown on election night are unofficial until the state certifies them.
- Last polls close
7 p.m. local time (the state spans Central and Mountain time) — 9 p.m. Eastern
7 p.m. Mountain time in western South Dakota.
- Mail ballots can be processed from
Monday, November 2
If the county official in charge convenes it, the absentee counting board may process ballots during business hours the day before the election, but may not count them then (SDCL 12-19-43).
- Mail ballots can be counted from
Tuesday, November 3
Absentee ballots may be run through tabulators on Election Day before polls close, but no totals may be printed or shown until polls close, and none may be hand-counted before then.
- Counties finish their count by
Monday, November 9
Computed: county canvassing boards must canvass within six calendar days after the election.
- State certifies results
Tuesday, November 10
Computed: the State Board of Canvassers meets within seven days after the election, and may adjourn up to ten days if county returns are missing.
- Automatic recount
Tie vote only
A recount is automatic only when the canvass shows a tie (SDCL 12-21-16).
- Requested recount
0.25% or less
A defeated candidate for an office voted on in more than one county (except legislative seats) may petition within three days after the state canvass if they lost by 0.25% of the total vote or less. For a statewide ballot question decided by 0.25% or less, 1,000 voters from at least five counties may petition within ten days (SDCL 12-21-14). Thresholds as amended in 2025.
- Runoff
No runoff — the candidate with the most votes wins
SDCL 12-6-51.1 provides a runoff only for the primary for U.S. Senate, U.S. House or Governor when no candidate reaches 35% of the party vote; SDCL 12-2-2.1 lists the primary, runoff and general election dates as separate statewide dates. No general-election runoff provision found.
- Ranked-choice voting
Not used
SDCL 12-1-9.1 ("Ranked choice voting prohibited"): the State Board of Elections may not authorize, and a political subdivision may not adopt or enforce, a system where voters rank candidates and tabulation proceeds in rounds (SL 2023, ch. 43).
- Votes needed to pass a ballot measure
A simple majority
Simple majority. Constitutional amendments become part of the constitution 'when approved by a majority of the votes cast thereon' (Art. XXIII, § 3); approved measures take effect July 1 (SDCL 2-1-12).
What’s on your ballot
Every contest you will vote on, from Congress to school board, with each candidate’s positions and record and the arguments for and against them.
Confirm this with the official source
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at South Dakota Secretary of State.