Office of theSouth Dakota Secretary of StateOfficial services and public information
Official South Dakota government website
ContactAccessibility
South Dakota · Political Parties

Form a New Political Party

Petition, signature, filing, convention, governing-document, and continuing-recognition requirements for a new South Dakota political party.

Download New Party Declaration Form View 2026 Party Status Flowchart (PDF)
2026 Formation Requirement

At least 3,502 valid signatures

The requirement is one percent of the 350,166 votes cast for Governor in the 2022 General Election. New-party formation petitions may begin circulating at any time, but no signature is valid if it was signed more than one year before filing.

350,166Total votes cast for Governor in 2022
3,502Minimum valid petition signatures
1%Statutory statewide signature requirement
Filing Paths

Choose the deadline based on the party's intended nominations

Primary Election Participation

March 31, 2026 · 5 p.m. CT

A party intending to have a candidate for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Governor, or the Legislature participate in the Primary Election must file by the last Tuesday in March.

SDCL 12-5-1
No Primary Candidate for Those Offices

July 1, 2026 · 5 p.m. CT

A party not intending to have a Primary Election candidate for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Governor, or the Legislature may use the July 1 formation deadline.

SDCL 12-5-1.5
Convention Nominations

Second Tuesday in August

New and alternative-status parties may nominate certain federal, gubernatorial, and legislative candidates by convention, subject to the applicable filing requirements.

SDCL 12-5-26
Formation Process

Basic steps

  1. Select a party name and statement of principles.
    The written declaration must contain the proposed party's name and a brief statement of its principles.
  2. Use the prescribed petition form.
    Review Administrative Rule 5:02:08:06 and use the current declaration form before collecting signatures.
  3. Collect eligible voter signatures.
    The petition must contain at least 3,502 valid signatures, and signatures older than one year at filing are not valid.
  4. File by the applicable deadline.
    The deadline depends on whether the party intends to participate in the Primary Election for the offices identified in statute.
  5. Adopt and file a constitution or bylaws.
    The party central committee must certify and file governing documents and amendments with the Secretary of State within thirty days after approval.

Forms and references

New political party declaration form · Administrative Rule 5:02:08:06 · 2026 party-status flowchart

Continuing Status

Recognition, registration, and nominations

Remain a recognized party

A statewide candidate must receive at least 2.5 percent of the total vote cast for that statewide office in either of the two previous general election cycles.

SDCL 12-1-3

Alternative political status

A recognized party with registration below 2.5 percent of all registered voters receives alternative political status.

SDCL 12-1-3.1

Party conventions

State conventions nominate the statewide candidates identified by law and carry out other party business.

SDCL 12-5-21

Constitution or bylaws

The party must adopt governing documents and file the documents and amendments within thirty days after approval.

SDCL 12-5-1.1
Current Documents

Official forms and resources

Current documents from the official SDSOS Elections pages are stored with this redesigned page for reliable access.