South
Dakota
Voting Guide
Voter Registration Deadline: received by County Auditor 15 days before Election Day
2020
-
Primary Election Registration Deadline: May 18
-
Primary Election: June 2
-
General Election Registration Deadline: October 19
-
General Election: November 3
Students have a choice about where to register to vote.
Students attending college may register at their campus address or choose to remain registered or register at their permanent or home address.
You may only be registered and vote in one location.
South Dakota’s voter registration form asks for your South Dakota driver’s license or ID number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Be sure to provide one of these numbers if you have it.
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
-
Military photo ID
-
Tribal photo ID
-
A 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.
If a voter is not able to present a form of personal identification, the voter may complete an affidavit and vote a regular ballot.
Make a plan. Look up your voting site and hours at: https://vip.sdsos.gov/viplogin.aspx
By Mail
-
All voters are eligible to vote absentee in South Dakota. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.
-
Contact your local election officials for a mail ballot. You can also download an absentee ballot application here: https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/assets/AbsenteeBallotApplication.pdf. Make sure to either notarize your signature or submit a copy of your valid ID with your application when you mail it in.
-
In South Dakota, the County Election Official must receive your application for absentee ballot no later than 5 p.m. the day before the election.
Early In-Person
-
You may apply to vote early in person at your County Auditor’s office once absentee voting begins 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 must be allowed to vote.
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.
