Mission: Guiding the efficient operation of elections in South Dakota; responding to the needs of all involved in the election process – including voters, candidates, and election officials.

Interested in Absentee Voting?  Click Here.

Check your voter registration, precinct and polling place information with the Voter Information Portal.

Registering to vote in South Dakota is a simple and easy process.  The following guidelines will help you get registered to vote.

You may register at the following locations:

     *County auditor's office
     *City finance office
     *Driver's license station
     *Public assistance agencies providing food stamps, TANF or WIC
     *Department of Human Services offices which provide assistance to the disabled
     *Military recruitment offices
     *Mail-in registration with cards from the county auditor's office or from one of the links above

To register to vote in South Dakota, you must:

• Be a United States citizen
• Reside in South Dakota (residency defined)
• Be at least 18 years old on or before the next election
• Not currently serving a sentence for a felony conviction which included imprisonment, served or suspended, in an adult penitentiary system
• Not be judged mentally incompetent by a court of law

You can use this form to:

• Register to vote in South Dakota
• Change your registration name or address
• Change your party affiliation

Party registration:

South Dakota has closed primary elections.  To be eligible to vote in the primaries, voters must indicate their political party choice on the registration cards.  Republican, Democratic, and Constitution parties are the recognized political parties in South Dakota.

Absentee Voting

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.  Absentee ballots are available for primary and general elections six weeks prior to the election.  Absentee ballots for city and school elections are available several weeks prior to the election.

To receive a ballot by mail, a voter must file a written application for an absentee ballot with the person in charge of the election.  The application must be mailed or hand delivered to the person in charge of the election.  The application cannot be submitted by fax.  The voter's signature on the application must be notarized or witnessed by an official who can administer an oath*.  An alternative to notarization would be to send a photocopy of a valid form of identification with the application**.  Notaries public are prohibited by law from charging a fee for notarizing an absentee ballot application.

The application can be filed anytime during the calendar year of the election.  The application deadline is 3:00pm on election day.

Voters who qualify to vote absentee may also go to the office of the person in charge of the election, complete an application, and vote in the office.  This should be done prior to election day. 

In the event of confinement because of sickness or disability, a qualified voter may request an absentee ballot in writing, naming an authorized messenger who will deliver the ballot to the voter. An application for a ballot by authorized messenger must be received by the person in charge of the election before 3:00 p.m. the day of the election.

The voter must sign a statement on the absentee ballot envelope prior to returning the ballot.  All voted ballots must be returned to the person in charge of the election in time to be delivered to the appropriate polling place prior to the closing of the polls.

Where to Send the Application (Person in Charge of the Election)

Uniformed and Overseas Absentee Voters

Uniformed and overseas citizens may submit an application or request for absentee ballot by fax or emailed image to the person in charge of the election.  Absentee ballot requests from overseas citizens need not be notarized. 

Uniformed and overseas absentee voters (UOCAVA) are defined as citizens who are members of the Uniformed Services, merchant marine, commissioned corps of the Public Health Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the family members of the above and overseas citizens.  Uniformed Services are defined as the U.S. Armed Forces (Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard), merchant marine, commissioned corps of the Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  Overseas citizens are defined as citizens who reside outside the United States.

Absentee Ballot Application for UOCAVA voter (choose one)

Absentee Ballot Fill-In Application in PDF format

Absentee Ballot Application in PDF format

Alternative Absentee Ballot Application for Uniformed and Overseas Citizens

================================================================================

*The following officers may administer an oath:

• Notary Publics (Listing by name, city or county)
• Supreme Court judges, circuit judges, magistrates, clerks and deputy clerks of the circuit court, federal judges and federal magistrates
• County auditor, county treasurer, register of deeds and their deputies
• Mayors, town board presidents, municipal finance officers and deputies, and township clerks within their municipality or township
• Any commissioned officer in the military service

** The following are acceptable forms of identification:

• A South Dakota driver’s license or nondriver identification card;

•  A passport or an identification card, including a picture, issued by an agency of the United States government;

•  A tribal identification card, including a picture; or

•  An current student identification card, including a picture, issued by an accredited institution of higher education, including a university, college, or technical school, located within the State of South Dakota.