South Dakota election

Sealed and signed envelopes are dropped into a box at the Brown County Administration Building after registered voters fill out in-person absentee ballots. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

Election 2022 sees ballots hand counted, drop boxes removed, security increased

BY: - November 7, 2022

It’s a never-ending game of Whac-A-Mole, said South Dakota Sec. of State Steve Barnett. Citizen groups have spent the last year questioning, challenging and pressuring officials at the state and local level to change South Dakota’s voter registration, absentee voting or ballot counting processes — typically based on incorrect information found on far right websites […]

The Sioux Falls office of "Yes on 27," a group backing the legalization of recreational marijuana for adults in South Dakota, as seen on Nov. 4, 2022.

Weed on the ballot: Voters could approve legal marijuana in 5 more states

BY: - November 7, 2022

Midterm voters in five states will determine if they should join the growing list of places where recreational marijuana use is allowed, even as any use of the drug is still illegal under federal law. Referendums to legalize recreational use of marijuana are on Nov. 8 ballots in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, South Dakota and North […]

Voters line up to cast early ballots on Nov. 4, 2022, at the Minnehaha County Courthouse in Sioux Falls. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

SD Secretary of State expects increase in midterm voter turnout

BY: - November 4, 2022

Between 65-70% of South Dakota registered voters are expected to cast a ballot in the 2022 election, said Sec. of State Steve Barnett. That’s a notable increase compared to the last two midterm elections in South Dakota, where 2014 saw a 54% voter turnout and 2018 saw 65%. The 2020 election was an outlier, considering […]