South Dakota

Election Day: Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time on Election Day, or until the last person in line at 7 p.m. has voted. 

Absentee voters may vote in person at the county auditor’s office or by mail no sooner than 46 days before Election Day. Absentee ballots must be received by the county auditor no later than 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.

How to Find Your Polling Place: Visit the following link – https://vip.sdsos.gov/VIPLogin.aspx

Registration Deadlines

• The voter registration deadline for the South Dakota Presidential Primary is Submitted by Mon May 20, 2024 5:00PM.

How to Check Your Registration: Voters can determine whether they are registered to vote at the following link: Am I Registered?.

You are eligible to vote in South Dakota if you:

• Are a U.S. citizen
• Are a resident of South Dakota
• Are at least 18 years old by Election Day

You are NOT eligible to vote in South Dakota if:

• You have been legally declared “mentally incompetent” by a court
• You are currently serving a sentence including incarceration, parole, probation, or extended supervision for a felony conviction

Restorative Requirements

• If you have completed a felony sentence, including any term of incarceration, parole, supervision, period of probation, or you have been pardoned, then you are immediately eligible to register to vote

In South Dakota, in order to register to vote and cast a ballot, you must pay all restitution, fines, or other fees.

You are able to pre-register:

• if you will be 18 by Election Day

How to register 

• South Dakota Presidential Primary
  • Submitted by Mon May 20, 2024 5:00PM

South Dakota residents may register either at their County Auditor’s office or by mail. Voter registration application forms and accompanying instructions can be found at the following links:

• Registration Form: https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/assets/VoterRegistrationFormFillable.pdf

• Absentee Ballot Application: https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/assets/AbsenteeApplication_202012.PDF

Voter Registration

To register to vote in South Dakota you should provide:

• Your South Dakota Driver’s License Number

If you do not have these IDs, you may provide:

• Last Four Digits of your Social Security Number

If you do not have a South Dakota Driver’s License or Social Security number and need help getting ID, go to www.voteriders.org.

Voting In-Person

If you are registered to vote in South Dakota, you are required to show photo ID to vote; or, you may instead sign an affidavit or similar document. Accepted forms of ID include:

• Valid Federal Issued ID
• Valid Military ID
• Valid South Dakota Driver’s License
• Valid Student ID
• Valid South Dakota Non-driver’s ID
• Valid Tribal ID
• Valid US Passport

If you don’t have any of these when you vote absentee in person or go to the polls on Election Day, you can fill out an affidavit confirming your identity and still be allowed to vote. If you do not have one of the South Dakota valid IDs and need help getting ID, go to www.voteriders.org.

To Register: Voters are not required to show photo ID to register to vote, but they must include a valid South Dakota driver’s license number or non-driver ID number on their registration form or the last four digits of their social security number.  If the voter does not have these numbers, they may register to vote at their County Auditor’s office. 

To Vote in Person: The voter must show:

• A South Dakota driver’s license or non-driver ID card,
• A U.S. passport/passport card,
• A tribal ID card with picture,
• A current student ID card with picture for a school located in South Dakota.
• If the voter cannot show a valid photo ID, they may sign an affidavit and vote by regular ballot.

Absentee Voting: The voter must submit a valid photo ID with their request for an absentee ballot. If a voter is mailing or using delivery for their absentee ballot, then they will not need to provide identification with their ballot.

If the voter has moved the voter must re-register to vote by completing a new voter registration form and should fill out the “Previous Voter Registration Information Required” section with the voter’s old address.

Any re-registration due to a move must be received by the County Auditor by 15 days before the election.

If You Want to Vote Absentee, requests may be made:

• In-Person
• By Mail

Absentee Ballots may be returned:

• In-Person
• By Mail

South Dakota Presidential Primary

Ballot Request:

• Submitted by Mon Jun 3, 2024 5:00PM

Ballot Return:

• Received by Tue Jun 4, 2024 7:00PM

Registered South Dakota voters must return their absentee ballot applications by mail or in-person to their County Auditor.

• Absentee Ballot Application: https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/assets/AbsenteeApplication_202012.PDF
• County Auditor Search: https://vip.sdsos.gov/CountyAuditors.aspx 

Any person who is eligible to vote may vote absentee beginning 46 days prior to the election by completing the application. The County Auditor must receive the application for an absentee ballot no later than 5:00 p.m. the day before the election.

Voting Military

Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the federal voter registration/ballot request form (“FPCA”). You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• Valid South Dakota Driver’s License
• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

Your state does not require an ID to be provided in order to register your ballot.

Voting Overseas

U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• Valid South Dakota Driver’s License
• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

Your state does not require an ID to be provided in order to register your ballot.

Registration: An overseas voter must be a registered voter to request an absentee ballot for South Dakota absentee voting.  The voter may submit a voter registration form and an absentee ballot application together, but if the voter is registering to vote or updating their voter registration, the voter must mail the original form to their County Auditor’s office.

Application for Absentee Ballot: If the voter possesses a current, valid South Dakota driver’s license or non-driver ID card, the voter may use the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Electronic Voter Registration Portal to request an absentee ballot, available at https://elvr.sdsos.gov/. 

Otherwise, the voter may submit an absentee ballot application using the following procedure:

1. Complete, print and sign the Absentee Ballot Application (available at https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/assets/AbsenteeApplication_202012.PDF); and 
2. Send the application to their County Auditor by mail, fax, or a signed and scanned image of the application via e-mail.

Note that the requirement for a photo ID or notarization is waived for stateside and overseas military and U.S. citizens residing outside of the United States.

Completion of the Ballot: If the voter chooses to have their ballot sent to them electronically, they will receive an e-mail with login information and a link to the Military and Overseas Citizens (UOCAVA) Web Portal. Print the ballot, complete it, sign the envelope and mail it back to the voter’s county auditor. Marked, official ballots may NOT be submitted through any electronic means (i.e., fax, email, etc.).

Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot: if an UOCAVA voter has submitted an absentee ballot application but has not received the absentee ballot, a Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) may be submitted (available here https://www.fvap.gov/eo/overview/materials/forms). FWAB may only be used for federal races.

Individuals who are currently incarcerated for a felony conviction (federal or state) cannot vote while serving their sentence.  After the completion of their entire sentence, including probation, parole, restitution, and payment of all fines and fees, an individual with a felony conviction becomes eligible to register to vote, and must register to be eligible to vote even if they were registered prior to their felony conviction. 

A person who receives a suspended imposition of sentence does not lose the right to vote. 

Pre-conviction detention and misdemeanors do not restrict a person’s ability to vote.