South Dakota's 2014 elections U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • Lt. Gov • Attorney General • Secretary of State • Other executive offices • State Senate • State House • State ballot measures • School boards • Judicial • Candidate ballot access

2015 → ← 2013

The state of South Dakota held elections in 2014. Below are the dates of note:

2014 elections and events in South Dakota
Filing deadline for ballot measures for 2014	November 4, 2014
Filing deadline for party candidates	March 25, 2014
School board election (1)	April 8, 2014
Filing deadline for independent candidates	April 29, 2014
Voter registration deadline for primary election	May 19, 2014
Primary election date	June 3, 2014
School board election (1)	June 3, 2014
Voter registration deadline for general election	October 20, 2014
General election date	November 4, 2014
Statewide ballot measure election	November 4, 2014
Petition drive deadline for ballot measures	November 4, 2014

Below are the types of elections that were scheduled in South Dakota in 2014:

On the 2014 ballot
Find current election news and links here.
U.S. Senate	a
U.S. House	a
State Executives	a
State Senate	a
State House	a
Statewide ballot measures (3 measures)	a
Local ballot measures	d
School boards	a
State courts	a

2014 elections

Races to watch in South Dakota

U.S. Congress

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See also: United States Senate elections in South Dakota, 2014

Sen. Tim Johnson's (D) retirement left Republicans with a strong chance of changing control of this seat. Republican front-runner Mike Rounds won the seat on November 4, 2014.

South Dakota State Legislature

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See also: South Dakota State Senate elections, 2014 and South Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2014

The general elections for the office of South Dakota State Senate took place on November 4, 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 25, 2014. Heading into the election, the Republican Party controlled the chamber. The following table details the 10 districts with the smallest margin of victory in the November 6, 2012, general election.

2012 Margin of Victory, South Dakota State Senate
District	Winner	Margin of Victory	Total Votes	Top Opponent
District 25	Tim Rave	2.5%	10,988	Dan Ahlers
District 2	Chuck Welke	2.8%	10,581	Art Fryslie
District 17	Tom Jones	4.9%	9,065	John Chicoine
District 26	Larry Lucas	6%	8,314	Kent Juhnke
Utah State Senate, District 7	Larry Tidemann	7%	8,150	Pamela Merchant
District 3	Al Novstrup	7.1%	10,368	H. Paul Dennert
District 22	Jim White	8.8%	9,550	Chris Studer
District 15	Angie Buhl	9.5%	5,428	Kathy Miles
District 14	Deb Soholt	11%	11,259	Brian Kaatz
District 12	Mark Johnston	12.5%	10,490	Kent Alberty

Elections for the South Dakota House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014. The general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 25, 2014. Heading into the election, the Republican Party controlled the chamber.

Elections by type

U.S. Senate

U.S. Senate elections in South Dakota

See also: United States Senate elections in South Dakota, 2014 and United States Senate elections, 2014

Voters in South Dakota elected one member to the U.S. Senate in the election on November 4, 2014.

Candidate Filing Deadline	Primary Election	General Election
March 25, 2014	June 3, 2014	November 4, 2014

Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In South Dakota, the Democratic Party conducts a semi-closed primary, in which both registered party members and unaffiliated voters may participate. The Republican Party limits participation in its primary to registered party members.^[1][2][3][4]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Voter registration: To vote in the primary, voters had to register by May 19, 2014. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 20, 2014.^[5]

See also: South Dakota elections, 2014

Incumbent: The election filled the Senate seat held by Tim Johnson (D). Johnson was first elected in 1996. He announced on March 25, 2013, that he would not seek another term in 2014.^[6]

Candidates

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Note: The filing deadline for candidates was March 25, 2014.

General election candidates

• Mike Roundsa^[7]
• Rick Weiland^[7]
• Larry Pressler^[8]
• Gordon Howie - Former South Dakota State Senator^[9]

June 3, 2014, primary results

Republican Primary Mike Rounds - Former governora[10] Larry Rhoden - South Dakota State Senator[11] Stace Nelson - South Dakota state legislator[12] Annette Bosworth[13] Jason Ravnsborg

Democratic Primary Rick Weilanda[14]

Third Party Candidates Larry Pressler[15] Gordon Howie - Former South Dakota State Senator[9]

Removed from ballot

• Clayton Walker^[9][16]

Declined to run

• Brendan Johnson - Current U.S. Attorney for South Dakota
• Stephanie Herseth Sandlin - Former U.S. Representative^[17]
• Kristi Noem - Current U.S. Representative^[18][19]
• Bill Napoli - Former state senator^[20]

U.S. House

U.S. House of Representatives elections in South Dakota

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in South Dakota, 2014 and United States House of Representatives elections, 2014

The 2014 U.S. House of Representatives elections in South Dakota took place on November 4, 2014. Voters elected one candidate to serve in the U.S. House from the state's At-Large Congressional District.

Candidate Filing Deadline	Primary Election	General Election
March 25, 2014	June 3, 2014	November 4, 2014

Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In South Dakota, the Democratic Party conducts a semi-closed primary, in which both registered party members and unaffiliated voters may participate. The Republican Party limits participation in its primary to registered party members.^{[21][22][23][24]}

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Voter registration: To vote in the primary, voters had to register by May 19, 2014. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 20, 2014.^[25]

See also: South Dakota elections, 2014

Incumbent: The incumbent heading into the election was Kristi Noem (R), who was first elected in 2010.

South Dakota has a single At-Large Congressional District, which is made up of the entire state.

Partisan breakdown

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Heading into the November 4 election, the Republican Party held the one congressional seat from South Dakota.

Members of the U.S. House from South Dakota -- Partisan Breakdown
Party		As of November 2014	After the 2014 Election
	Democratic Party	0	0
	Republican Party	1	1
Total		1	1

List of candidates by district

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Note: The filing deadline for candidates was March 25, 2014.

At-large Congressional District

General election candidates

• Kristi Noem - Incumbenta
• Corinna Robinson

June 3, 2014, primary results

Republican Primary Kristi Noem - Incumbenta[26]

Democratic Primary Corinna Robinsona[26]

Failed to file

• Charles Haan sued Secretary of State Jason Gant for "illegally" declining to put him on the ballot. “He was 45 signatures short of even meeting the 250, even if every single line he submitted was accurate,” Gant said.^[27] Haan lost his case, and he did not appear on the ballot.^[28]

State Executives

State executive official elections in South Dakota

See also: South Dakota state executive official elections, 2014 and State executive official elections, 2014

Eight state executive positions were up for election in 2014 in the state of South Dakota.

The following offices were elected in 2014 in South Dakota:

• Governor of South Dakota
• Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
• South Dakota Attorney General
• South Dakota Secretary of State
• South Dakota Treasurer
• South Dakota Auditor
• South Dakota Commissioner of School and Public Lands
• South Dakota Public Service Commissioner

List of candidates by office

Note: The filing deadline for candidates was March 25, 2014.

Governor

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General election

Dennis Daugaard/Matthew Michels - Incumbents
Susan Wismer/Susan Blake^[29]
Mike Myers/Lora Hubbel^[30][29]

Withdrawn

Caitlin Collier - former lieutenant gubernatorial running mate of Mike Myers^[31][32][33]

Lost in gubernatorial primary

Lora Hubbel - Former state representative^[34]
Joe Lowe - Former director of the state Wildland Fire Suppression Division^[35]

Failed to qualify

Curtis Strong^[36][29]

Lieutenant Governor

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• Matthew Michels - Incumbent
• Susan Blake - state representative^[37]
• Lora Hubbel - former Republican gubernatorial candidate^[38]

Withdrew

• Caitlin Collier^[39][40][41]

Attorney General

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Marty J. Jackley - Incumbent^[42]
Chad Haber

Secretary of State

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Shantel Krebs - State Senator^[43]
Angelia Schultz^[44]
Lori Stacey - Constitution Party candidate^[44]
Emmett Reistroffer

Did not file

Jason Gant - Incumbent

Former candidates

Pat Miller - Deputy Secretary of State^[45][44]
Ken Santema - Blogger, Computer Network Project Manager^[46][44]

Down ballot offices

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Office	Incumbent	Assumed Office	Incumbent running?	General Election Candidates	2015 Winner	Partisan Switch?
Treasurer	Richard Sattgast	2011	Yes[44]	Richard Sattgast Denny Pierson Ken Santema	Richard Sattgast	No
State Auditor	Steve Barnett	2011	Yes[44]	Steve Barnett Kurt Evans	Steve Barnett	No
Public Utilities Commission	Gary Hanson	2002	Yes[47]	Gary Hanson David Allen Wayne Schmidt	Gary Hanson	No
Commissioner of School and Public Lands	Vernon L. Larson	2013	No[48]	Ryan Brunner John English	Ryan Brunner	No

State Senate

State Senate election in South Dakota

See also: South Dakota State Senate elections, 2014 and State legislative elections, 2014

The general elections for the office of South Dakota State Senate took place on November 4, 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 25, 2014.

Majority control

See also: Partisan composition of state senates

Heading into the November 4 election, the Republican Party held the majority in the South Dakota State Senate:

South Carolina House of Representatives
Party		As of November 3, 2014	After November 4, 2014
	Democratic Party	46	46
	Republican Party	78	77
	Vacant	0	1
Total		124	124

List of candidates by district

Note: The filing deadline for candidates was March 25, 2014.

District 1 • District 2 • District 3 • District 4 • District 5 • District 6 • District 7 • District 8 • District 9 • District 10 • District 11 • District 12 • District 13 • District 14 • District 15 • District 16 • District 17 • District 18 • District 19 • District 20 • District 21 • District 22 • District 23 • District 24 • District 25 • District 26 • District 27 • District 28 • District 29 • District 30 • District 31 • District 32 • District 33 • District 34 • District 35

State House

State House elections in South Dakota

See also: South Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2014 and State legislative elections, 2014

Elections for the South Dakota House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014. The general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 25, 2014.

Majority control

See also: Partisan composition of state senates

Heading into the November 4 election, the Republican Party held the majority in the South Dakota House of Representatives:

South Dakota House of Representatives
Party		As of November 3, 2014	After November 4, 2014
	Democratic Party	17	12
	Republican Party	53	58
Total		70	70

List of candidates by district

Note: The filing deadline for candidates was March 25, 2014.

District 1 • District 2 • District 3 • District 4 • District 5 • District 6 • District 7 • District 8 • District 9 • District 10 • District 11 • District 12 • District 13 • District 14 • District 15 • District 16 • District 17 • District 18 • District 19 • District 20 • District 21 • District 22 • District 23 • District 24 • District 25 • District 26 • District 27 • District 28 • District 29 • District 30 • District 31 • District 32 • District 33 • District 34 • District 35

Statewide ballot measures

Statewide ballot measure elections in South Dakota

See also: South Dakota 2014 ballot measures and 2014 ballot measures

Three ballot measures were certified for the 2014 ballot in the state of South Dakota.

On the ballot

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Note: The filing deadline for ballot measures was November 4, 2013.

November 4:

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
CISS	Initiated Measure 17	Insurance	Allows patients to choose health care provider at no cost	a
CISS	Initiated Measure 18	Minimum wage	Raises the minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50 and increases it each year based on inflation	a
LRCA	Amendment Q	Gambling	Permits certain forms of gambling in the city of Deadwood upon local voter approval	a

School boards

School board elections in South Dakota

See also: List of school board elections in 2014 and South Dakota school board elections, 2014

In 2014, 670 of America's largest school districts held elections for 2,188 seats. These elections took place in 37 states.

State elections

A total of two South Dakota school districts among America's largest school districts by enrollment held elections in 2014 for three seats. Sioux Falls School District held its election on April 8, 2014. Rapid City Area School District held its election on June 3, 2014.

Here are several quick facts about South Dakota's school board elections in 2014:

• An average of 1.33 candidates ran for each board seat up for election in 2014 in South Dakota’s largest school districts by enrollment, which was lower than the national average of 1.89 candidates per seat.
• Two-thirds of the school board seats on the ballot in 2014 were unopposed. This was a higher percentage than the 32.57 percent of school board seats that were unopposed nationally.

• All of the incumbents whose seats were on the ballot ran for re-election in 2014, and they all retained their seats.
• No newcomers were elected to school boards in South Dakota. Nationally 38.19 percent of school board seats went to newcomers.
• The largest school district by enrollment with an election in 2014 was Sioux Falls School District with 21,390 K-12 students.
• The smallest school district by enrollment with an election in 2014 was Rapid City Area School District with 13,382 K-12 students.
• Rapid City Area School District had the most seats up for election in 2014 with two seats up for election. Sioux Falls School District had one seat up for election.

The districts listed below served 34,772 K-12 students during the 2010-2011 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.^[49] Click on the district names for more information on the district and its school board elections.

2014 South Dakota School Board Elections
District	Date	Seats up for election	Total board seats	Student enrollment
Sioux Falls School District	4/8/2014	1	5	21,390
Rapid City Area School District	6/3/2014	2	7	13,382

Voting in South Dakota

See also: Voting in South Dakota

Important voting information

• A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In South Dakota, the Democratic Party conducts a semi-closed primary, in which both registered party members and unaffiliated voters may participate. The Republican Party limits participation in its primary to registered party members.^{[50][51][52][53]}

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

• South Dakota does not permit online voter registration.

Voting absentee

See also: Absentee voting by state

For information about eligibility, deadlines, military and overseas voting and updates to the voting laws in South Dakota, please visit our absentee voting by state page.

Voting early

See also: Early voting

South Dakota is one of 34 states that has early voting with no specific requirements as to who can vote early. Completed ballots must be returned to the county election official by close of polls on Election Day.^[54]

Elections Performance Index

See also: Pew Charitable Trusts' Elections Performance Index

South Dakota ranked 9th out of the 50 states and District of Columbia in the Pew Charitable Trusts' Elections Performance Index (EPI), based on the 2012 elections. The EPI examined election administration performance and assigned an average percentage score based on 17 indicators of election performance. These indicators were chosen in order to determine both the convenience and integrity of these three phases of an election: registration, voting and counting. South Dakota received an overall score of 72 percent.^[55]

See also

External links

• South Dakota Secretary of State website
• List of primary candidates from SD Secretary of State

Footnotes

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