Election verification
Post-Election Audits
South Dakota counties manually audit voted paper ballots after primary and general elections to verify that tabulation equipment produced the correct result.
How it works
Audit process
Timing
After the state canvass
County auditors conduct the audit within fifteen days after completion of the state canvass.
Selection
Public random selection
Precincts and contests are selected at random in public without using a computer.
Method
Manual hand count
Votes in selected precincts and contests are counted by hand and compared with canvassed results.
Official authority
Laws and guidance
Published records
Audit results
The source archive includes valid 2026 county certificates and several unresolved placeholder records. Missing certificates are identified instead of linking to a placeholder.
2026 Primary
County audit certificates
Review the county-by-county audit table and available certificates.
View published results →Prior elections
Historical audit results
Older audit materials remain available through the historical election archive.
Browse election history →