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South
Dakota
Voting Guide
Registration Deadlines and Election Dates
Voter Registration Deadline: received by the County Auditor 15 days before Election Day.
2022
Primary Election Voter Registration Deadline: May 23
Primary Election: June 7
General Election Voter Registration Deadline: October 24
General Election: November 8
Register at School or Home
Students have a decision about where to register to vote.
You have a right to register to vote at the address you consider the place where you live, whether that is your family's home or the place where you attend school. You should update your registration anytime this home address changes.
You may only be registered and vote in one location.
What Type of ID Do I Need to Register?
South Dakota’s voter registration form asks for your South Dakota driver’s license or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Be sure to provide one of these numbers if you have it.
What Type of ID Do I Need to Vote?
All voters who vote in-person must present identification. The acceptable forms of ID are:
A South Dakota driver’s license or non-driver identification card
U.S. government photo ID, including passport
Current student photo ID, issued by a high school or an accredited institution of higher education, including a university, college, or technical school, located within South Dakota
Tribal photo ID
If you are not able to present a photo ID, you may complete an affidavit and vote a regular ballot.
Where Do I Vote?
Make a plan. Check your voter registration and absentee ballot status, look up your voting site and hours at: https://vip.sdsos.gov/viplogin.aspx
How Can I Vote?
By Mail
Any registered voter may cast an absentee ballot in South Dakota.
Absentee ballot request forms must be mailed to the County Auditor. Be sure to get your application notarized or submit a copy of your valid ID (listed above) with your application when you mail it in. The County Auditor must receive your application no later than 5 p.m. the day before Election Day, but voters are encouraged to allocate sufficient time to receive the ballot by mail and return it by close of polls.
Your ballot must be received by the County Election Official by close of polls on Election Day.
Early In-person
Any registered voter may vote in person at the County Auditor’s office, beginning 46 days before Election Day until 5 p.m. on the day before Election Day.
Election Day
Voting sites will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day. If you are in line by the closing time then you have the right to vote.
Common Questions/Concerns
Registering to Vote Does Not Affect Your:
Federal Financial Aid
Where you register to vote will not affect federal financial aid such as Pell Grants, Perkins or Stafford loans, or your dependency status for FAFSA.
Status as a Dependent on Your Parents’ Taxes
Being registered to vote at a different address from your parents does not prevent them from claiming you as a dependent on their taxes.
Tuition Status
Being deemed out-of-state for tuition purposes does not prevent you from choosing to register to vote in your campus community.
Will registering to vote in South Dakota affect my driver’s license or car registration?
As a full-time student in South Dakota, you may have to make these changes regardless of whether you register to vote in South Dakota. For more information, you may wish to contact the South Dakota Motor Vehicle Division.
Fair Elections Center and Campus Vote Project intend the information contained herein to be used only as a general guide. This document should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed South Dakota legal professional.
Last updated June 2022