South Dakota

31% of 18-29 year olds voted in South Dakota in 2016*

*Source CIRCLE - Youth Voting and Civic Engagement in America

Your voter registration application must be received on or by October 19, 2020 in order to be eligible to vote in the 2020 General Election.

Check Registration Status

Check Registration Status

Check your South Dakota voter registration status here.

 

Eligibility

In order to register to vote, you must be a U.S. citizen, be at least 18 years old on or before election day, and a resident of South Dakota.

  • Residency requirements and guidelines in South Dakota are specified here. In order to register to vote you cannot be judged mentally incompetent by a court of law or currently be serving a sentence for a felony conviction which included imprisonment, served or suspended, in an adult penitentiary system. See more information about felony convictions here.
  • College students may choose to register to vote at either their home address OR at their college address. See more information here.

Deadline

The deadline to register by mail or in-person for the 2020 General Election is October 19, 2020. South Dakota does not have online voter registration or same-day voter registration.

 

Voter Registration Process

There are two primary methods of registering to vote in South Dakota: mailing in a printable application or registering in-person.

  • You are required to show your driver’s license or provide the last 4 digits of your Social Security number when registering to vote in South Dakota. South Dakota does practice automatic voter registration.
  • Further voter registration information for South Dakota can be found here.

This page was last updated on 11/2/2020.

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South Dakota offers absentee by-mail and early absentee in-person voting. Voters are encouraged to consider voting using one of these methods in order to minimize their risk of exposure to COVID-19. Click here for updates concerning COVID-19. Refer to this website for important information concerning the 2020 General Election.

Poll Finder

Vote-By-Mail Practices

Any registered voter in South Dakota may request an absentee ballot and is not required to provide a reason. Click here to access South Dakota’s Absentee Ballot Application Form.

  • Your application for an absentee ballot must be received by the county election office no later than 5 p.m. the day before the election (November 2, 2020). Be sure to mail South Dakota’s Absentee Ballot Application Form to your County Election Official, as only voters covered under the Uniformed and Overseas Absentee Voting Act can submit their application for an absentee ballot via fax or email.
  • Your completed absentee ballot must be received by your County Election Official on Election Day (November 3, 2020) before the polls close at 7 pm. Click here for a list of County Auditors (there are no drop boxes are available). Click here to track your ballot status.
  • Further absentee by-mail voting information for South Dakota is listed here.

Early Voting

South Dakota offers early voting.

  • Early voting, also known as in-person absentee voting, will be available starting on September 18 and will end the day before the election (November 2, 2020).

Poll Finder

Locate your polling place here.

 

Election Day Practices

On Election Day, the polls are open 7 am-7 pm.

  • In order to vote in South Dakota, you must present a valid form of ID. Information about acceptable forms of ID and general voting information can be found here.
  • Further South Dakota voting information is listed here.

This page was last updated on 11/2/2020.

Questions? Click here to chat with us!

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