2026 Midterms State GuideSouth Dakota
Hold on to your bison and your chislic.
Polls are closed
Polls are closed in South Dakota, and results aren’t finalized yet.
Ballots are still being counted, close races can take days to call, and no result is official until it’s certified.
A prayer for South Dakota
Maker of prairies and plains, guard South Dakota from the unrest that so easily permeates election season. As South Dakotans approach this time of great decision, help voters rightly balance the weight of responsibility, knowing it is a privilege to steward, but not a power that can irreparably harm Your good purposes.
Read the whole prayerUpdated
Hi! It’s me, Shadrach. Apparently, I’m your civic guide today. If you’ve been complaining about how things are going (and I’ve heard you... the walls are thin), this guide will help you feel informed and able to vote in this year’s midterms. Now, hold on to your bison and your chislic, and let’s get into it.
South Dakota at a glance
South Dakota votes on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, for governor, U.S. Senate, its one U.S. House seat and four statewide ballot measures.
- Election Day
- Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026
- Voter registration
- Oct. 19: Voter registration deadline
- Absentee voting
- Sept. 18: Absentee voting begins
- Governor
- 2 candidates
- U.S. Senate
- 2 candidates
- U.S. House
- One seat
- Statewide ballot measures
- 4
What happens next
The counting continues
Election-night numbers are unofficial. Mail, provisional, and military ballots are still being counted, so close races can take days to call.
Officials double-check the count
Local election officials review the ballots and the tallies (the canvass). A very close race can go to a recount.
South Dakota certifies the results
Results become official once South Dakota certifies them, usually a few weeks after Election Day.
Winners take office
The new Congress takes office in early January. Governors and other state officials take office on dates set by state law, most of them in January too.
Important dates
- Jun. 2Primary This date has passed.
- Sept. 18Absentee voting begins This date has passed.
- Oct. 19Voter registration deadline This date has passed.
- Nov. 2Absentee ballot request deadline (in-person) This date has passed.
- Nov. 3Election Day This date has passed.
What’s at stake
Deep-red South Dakota has an open House seat this year after incumbent Rep. Johnson (R) vacated to run for governor (though he lost his primary). In a cycle where Democrats are vying for Congress, the Mount Rushmore state likely isn’t on their pickup list. Every SD race is heavily favored toward Republicans. South Dakotan voters are feeling the effects of inflation, along with the rest of the country. In a 2026 poll, 35% ranked it as the top issue facing the state, followed by threats to democracy (13%), housing affordability (13%), education (11%), and healthcare (9%).
Who’s on your ballot
Tap a race to see the candidates.
South Dakota is choosing a governor
See whose priorities line up with yours
Here are the top priorities each candidate lists, in their own words. Pick the 2 that matter most to you. Names stay hidden until you see your results.
0 of 2 picked
Larry RhodenRepublicanincumbent
Top accomplishments (cited by their campaign)- Cutting property taxes by 25% to 45% depending on the county
- Securing the largest business investment in state history by relocating Smithfield's Sioux Falls plant
- Keeping the nation's lowest unemployment rate alongside fast economic and income growth
- Top priorities
Dan AhlersDemocrat- Rebuilding rural South Dakota by investing in Main Street businesses, roads and broadband
- Recruiting and keeping teachers and expanding early childhood education and child care
- Making housing more affordable by supporting local efforts to increase supply
- Get to know ’em
Brian BengsIndependent
All U.S. House of Representatives seats are up for election every two years. Find your district here.
- Shadrach’s big picture
South Dakotans will elect one representative to send to Congress. A Republican has held that seat since 2011.
- Open seats
Yes, SD’s one seat is open. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R) ran for governor.
- Competitive districts
South Dakota’s one at-large district is considered solidly Republican. The deep-red state is almost guaranteed to re-elect a Republican, though candidates in both parties filed to run, so the seat isn’t guaranteed to the GOP.
Statewide ballot measures
4 to read before you go. Tap one to open it.
South Dakota voters put Medicaid expansion in the state constitution in 2022. The federal government currently covers 90% of the cost. This amendment would let the state end expanded coverage if that federal share ever dropped below 90%. If that happened, Medicaid would go back to covering only its traditional groups: low-income children, pregnant women, people with disabilities, and the elderly. Roughly 30,000 South Dakotans are covered under the expansion.
Voting yessupports letting the state end expanded Medicaid coverage if the federal share of its cost ever drops below 90%Voting noopposes the amendment, keeping Medicaid expansion in the state constitution with no funding conditionThis amendment would add being a non-citizen to the Constitution's explicit list of things that disqualify a person from voting. Non-citizens already cannot vote in South Dakota elections; this spells out the disqualification.
Voting yessupports adding non-citizenship to the constitution’s list of things that disqualify a person from votingVoting noopposes the amendment, keeping the current constitutional language. Non-citizens still could not vote in South Dakota electionsThe state holds on to money people have forgotten about: uncashed checks, dormant bank accounts, unclaimed insurance payouts. Right now, much of that money flows into general state spending. This amendment would move it into a protected trust fund instead: the original money stays available for rightful owners to claim, and the state could spend only the interest it earns.
Voting yessupports moving unclaimed property money into a protected trust fund, where owners can still claim it and the state could spend only the interest it earnsVoting noopposes the amendment, keeping the current system, where much of that money goes into general state spendingRight now, any change to the Constitution of South Dakota passes with a simple majority. This amendment would raise that bar to 60% for all future amendments, whether proposed by the legislature or by a citizen petition. The new 60% threshold would not apply to initiated laws, only constitutional amendments, and Amendment L itself needs only a simple majority to pass. Supporters say the constitution should be harder to change. Opponents say it weakens the citizen initiative process, which South Dakota was the first state to adopt in 1898.
Voting yessupports requiring 60% of the vote to pass any future constitutional amendment, whether proposed by the legislature or by citizen petitionVoting noopposes it, keeping the simple-majority standard for constitutional amendments
Also on the ballot
Other races South Dakota voters will decide.
- Lieutenant Governor
- Attorney General
- Secretary of State
- Auditor
- Commissioner of School and Public Lands
- Treasurer
- Public Utilities Commission
- State Senate
- State House
- Municipal government
Whose job is it?
Ten things government does. Tap the office that does each one.
Whose job is it to…
1 of 10
Declare a state of emergency after a hurricane or flood?
Pass it on
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Send them the guide. It takes one tap, and it saves them an evening of arguing in a group chat.
From the newsroom
How TPO has covered South Dakota this cycle. Tap one to read it here.
A prayer for South Dakota
Maker of prairies and plains, guard South Dakota from the unrest that so easily permeates election season. As South Dakotans approach this time of great decision, help voters rightly balance the weight of responsibility, knowing it is a privilege to steward, but not a power that can irreparably harm Your good purposes.
Grant South Dakotans wisdom and discernment in the ballot box to elect leaders who govern in love, seek the flourishing of their people, and enact policies that promote justice.
The Mount Rushmore State’s leaders are streams of water in Your hand, O Lord; You direct them as You will. As we wait for Your kingdom in a loop of lesser kings, through seasons of change and uncertainty, teach us not to fear. The fate of our world does not hang in the balance, for our King has come, and He will come again soon.
Amen.