How to vote in South Dakota

Registration deadlines, ID, mail and early voting in South Dakota, in plain English, with the official links. The South Dakota Secretary of State, Elections is the final word on every rule.

Check your registration Official election office
Register online No online registration
Register by mail Received by your county auditor 15 days before the election.
Register in person At your county auditor's office (or another registration site) at least 15 days before the election.
Same-day registration No
Voter ID Show a photo ID (SD driver's license or non-driver ID, U.S. passport or other U.S. government photo ID, tribal photo ID, U.S. armed forces ID, or a current SD high school or college student photo ID), or sign a personal identification affidavit and vote a regular ballot.
Voting by mail Any registered voter may apply to the county auditor for an absentee ballot; the application must be notarized or include a copy of an acceptable photo ID, and the ballot must reach the county by Election Day.
Early voting In-person absentee voting with photo ID (or the affidavit) at the county auditor's office from the start of absentee voting until 5 p.m. the day before the election (for the 2026 general, from September 18).

Checked against the South Dakota election office's website on November 8, 2026. Deadlines are for general elections; primaries, runoffs and local elections can differ. Military and overseas voters have their own rules at FVAP.gov.

Official sources

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