Municipal & School Election Information
Calendars, petitions, referendum rules, and workshop schedules for city and school district elections.
Dates
Election calendars
Reference
Election resources
- Attorney General Official Opinion No. 25-05, concerning 2025 HB 1130
- Absentee Voting Process for Cities and Schools (uncombined elections)
- Precinct Manual
- School District Opt-Out Election Timeline
- Tax Limitation & Opt-Out Information for all taxing districts except school districts
- Opt-Out Information for Schools
- Forms of Notices
- How to Circulate Municipal & County Initiatives and Referendums
- Municipal Recall Election Guidelines
- Municipal & School Recount Manual (uncombined elections)
- Register to Vote
- ADA Checklist for Polling Places
- Kinship Chart
Referendum
What school district decisions can go to a public vote?
State law limits the school-board decisions that voters may refer to a public vote. Eligible issues are:
- School start date (SDCL 13-26-9 through 17)
- School consolidation/reorganization (SDCL 13-6-10)
- Bonds — require 60% to pass (SDCL 6-8B-2 and 13-19-9)
- Discontinuing an attendance center (SDCL 13-23-2 and 3)
- Some capital outlay certificates (SDCL 13-16-6.4)
- Implementing a school sentinel program (SDCL 13-64-7)
Petitions
Nominating petitions
State law requires every petition sheet to be self-contained: the heading, signer instructions, signature lines, and circulator's verification must all appear on each sheet before it's circulated, printed front and back. Sheets cannot be taped, stapled, or glued together, and signature-only sheets aren't allowed. Questions go to the elections department at 773-3537.
Municipal Nominating Petition
Signature rules are set by SDCL 9-13-9. First/second class cities need at least 5% of registered voters (capped at 50 signatures) for at-large and ward races; third class cities need at least 3 signatures.
How to circulate →School Board Nominating Petition
Requires a minimum of 20 signatures under SDCL 13-7-6.
How to circulate →Petition forms: Municipal (legal size) · Municipal (letter size) · School board (legal size) · School board (letter size) · Signature validation checklist
Cities and schools must check voter registration on nominating petitions (ARSD 05:02:08:00). City finance officers and school business managers can email the office for access to the look-up site.
Training
2025–2026 municipal/school election workshops
New finance officers and business managers are encouraged to attend all sessions; each date runs two webinar times.
- Webinar 1 — Monday, November 24, 2025 (10:00 AM / 2:00 PM CST): setting your election date, vacancy notices, election calendar overview, candidate eligibility, filling vacancies
- Webinar 2 — Thursday, December 18, 2025 (10:00 AM / 2:00 PM CST): combined elections overview, petitions
- Webinar 3 — Thursday, January 8, 2026 (10:00 AM / 2:00 PM CST): voter qualifications, ballot preparation, absentee voting, election worker training
- Webinar 4 — Friday, February 13, 2026 (10:00 AM / 2:00 PM CST): election day, counting ballots, canvassing results, recounts