South Dakota state legislative Republican primaries, 2018

Elections in South Dakota, 2018

* General election: Nov. 6
* Voter registration deadline: Oct. 22
* Early voting: Sept. 21 - Nov. 5
* Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 5

* Online registration: No
* Same-day registration: No
* Voter ID: Photo ID required
* Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

* * *

On the ballot: U.S. House • Governor • Attorney General • Secretary of State • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Supreme court • State ballot measures • Democratic primaries • Republican primaries

2018 South Dakota
State Legislature elections

General| November 6, 2018
Primary| June 5, 2018
2018 elections

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The Republican primary elections for the seats in the South Dakota State Senate and the South Dakota House of Representatives were on June 5, 2018. For information about the Democratic primary elections in South Dakota, click here.

The general election was on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was March 27, 2018. In the state Senate, all 35 seats were up for election. In the state House, all 70 seats were up for election.

HIGHLIGHTS

* As of December 2017, South Dakota was one of 26 Republican trifectas. A state government trifecta is a term used to describe a single-party government where one political party holds the governor's office and a majority in both chambers of the state legislature. To find out more about state government trifectas, click here.

## Contents

* 1 Incumbents who did not advance to the general election
* 1.1 Retiring incumbents
* 2 Competitiveness
* 3 Partisan control
* 3.1 South Dakota House of Representatives
* 3.2 South Dakota State Senate
* 4 Voter information
* 4.1 How the primary works
* 4.2 Poll times
* 4.3 Registration requirements
* 4.4 Automatic registration
* 4.5 Online registration
* 4.6 Same-day registration
* 4.7 Residency requirements
* 4.8 Verification of citizenship
* 4.9 Verifying your registration
* 4.10 Voter ID requirements
* 4.11 Early voting
* 4.12 Absentee voting
* 5 See also
* 6 Footnotes

## Incumbents who did not advance to the general election[edit]

### Retiring incumbents[edit]

Four Republican state Senate incumbents did not seek re-election.

* Neal Tapio (District 5)
* Larry Tidemann (District 7)
* Deb Peters (District 9)
* Terri Haverly (District 35)

Fifteen Republican state House incumbents did not seek re-election in 2018:

* Burt E. Tulson (District 2)
* Daniel Kaiser (District 3)
* Jason Kettwig (District 4)
* Wayne Steinhauer (District 9)
* Greg Jamison (District 12)
* G. Mark Mickelson (District 13)
* Mike Stevens (District 18)
* Tona Rozum(District 20)
* Lance Carson (District 20)
* James Schaefer (District 26)
* Larry Rhoden (District 29)
* Kristin Conzet (District 32)
* David Lust (District 34)
* Lynne Disanto (District 35)
* Blaine Campbell (District 35)

## Competitiveness[edit]

See also: 2018 primary election competitiveness in state and federal government and South Dakota state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018

There were 28 open seats in 2018, which was fewer than the 43 open seats in 2016 and the 33 open seats in 2014. The 7 contested Democratic primaries was up from 3 in 2016 and 4 in 2016. The 17 contested Republican primaries was up from 16 in 2016 and equal to the number of contestested Republican primaries in 2014. The 225 candidates running was up from 179 in 2016 and 195 in 2014.

Year | Total seats | Open seats | Total candidates | Democratic primaries contested | Republican primaries contested | Total contested | Incumbents contested in primaries | Total incumbents contested in primaries

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

2018 | 105 | 28 | 225 | 7 | 17 | 13.6% | 20 | 26.0%
2016 | 105 | 43 | 179 | 3 | 16 | 9.0% | 18 | 29.0%
2014 | 105 | 33 | 195 | 4 | 17 | 11.9% | 17 | 23.6%

## Partisan control[edit]

The tables below show the partisan breakdowns of the South Dakota House of Representatives and the South Dakota State Senate as of June 2018:

### South Dakota House of Representatives[edit]

Party  | As of June 2018

|

| Democratic Party | 10
| Republican Party | 59
| Vacancies  | 1
Total |  70

### South Dakota State Senate[edit]

Party  | As of June 2018

|

| Democratic Party | 6
| Republican Party | 28
| Vacancies  | 1
Total |  35

## Voter information[edit]

### How the primary works[edit]

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. South Dakota law allows parties to choose whether to let unaffiliated voters vote in their elections. For more information on recognized political parties in South Dakota and their primary policies, see here.[1]

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

### Poll times[edit]

In South Dakota, all polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. South Dakota is divided between Central and Mountain time zones. Anyone in line when the polls close must be allowed to vote.[2]

### Registration requirements[edit]

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in South Dakota, an applicant must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of South Dakota, at least 18 years old by the day of the next election, not currently serving a sentence for a felony conviction, and not be judged mentally incompetent by a court of law.[3]

The deadline to register to vote is 15 days before the next election. To register, an applicant may submit a voter registration form to the county auditor. Prospective voters can also register in person at the county auditor's office, city finance offices, driver's license stations, Department of Human Services offices, certain public assistance agencies, or military recruitment offices.[3]

### Automatic registration[edit]

See also: Automatic voter registration

South Dakota does not practice automatic voter registration.[4]

### Online registration[edit]

See also: Online voter registration

South Dakota does not permit online voter registration.

### Same-day registration[edit]

See also: Same-day voter registration

South Dakota does not allow same-day voter registration.[5]

### Residency requirements[edit]

To register to vote in South Dakota, you must be a resident of the state "for at least thirty consecutive days."[6][3]

### Verification of citizenship[edit]

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

South Dakota does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.[7]

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[8] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

### Verifying your registration[edit]

The South Dakota Secretary of State’s office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting the Voter Information Portal.

### Voter ID requirements[edit]

South Dakota requires voters to present photo identification while voting.[9]

The following were accepted forms of identification as of October 2025. Click here for the South Dakota Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

“  |

* South Dakota driver's license or nondriver ID card
* U.S. government photo ID
* U.S. passport
* U.S. Armed Forces ID
* Current student photo identification card from a South Dakota high school or South Dakota-accredited institution of higher education
* Tribal photo ID[10]

| ”

|
|

If a voter does not have a photo ID, he or she can sign a personal identification affidavit. The voter will then be given a regular ballot.[9]

### Early voting[edit]

South Dakota permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.

### Absentee voting[edit]

All voters are eligible for absentee/mail-in voting in South Dakota and there are no special eligibility requirements.[11][12]

An absentee/mail-in ballot application must be received by county election officials before 5 p.m. or the close of business the day before the election, whichever is later. A completed absentee/mail-in ballot must then be received by election officials by the close of polls on Election Day.[11]

## See also[edit]

* South Dakota state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018
* South Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2018
* South Dakota State Senate elections, 2018
* South Dakota State Legislature
* South Dakota elections, 2018

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ South Dakota Legislature Legislative Research Council, "S.D. Codified Laws Ann. § 12–6–26," accessed October 30, 2025
2. ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, “General Voting Information,” accessed October 30, 2025
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 South Dakota Secretary of State, “Register to Vote, Update Voter Registration or Cancel Voter Registration,” accessed October 30, 2025
4. ↑ NCSL, "Automatic Voter Registration," accessed October 30, 2025
5. ↑ NCSL, "Same-Day Voter Registration," accessed October 30, 2025
6. ↑ 2025 South Dakota Legislature, "HB 1066," accessed October 30, 2025
7. ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "South Dakota Voter Registration Form," accessed October 30, 2025
8. ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 South Dakota Secretary of State, "General Voting Information," accessed October 30, 2025
10. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 South Dakota Secretary of State, "Voting by Absentee Ballot," accessed October 30, 2025
12. ↑ South Dakota Legislature Legislative Research Council, "S.D. Codified Laws Ann. §12-19-1," accessed October 30, 2025

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