‘Losing our voice’: South Dakota general election turnout falls to historic low

South Dakota’s general election voter turnout dropped to a historic low Tuesday, with 49% of registered voters casting a ballot.

Turnout is generally lower in non-presidential election years, according to data from the Secretary of State’s Office dating to 1964. The state’s previous low for a general election was 52% in 2010.

University of South Dakota political science associate professor Julia Hellwege called the 2026 turnout “exceptionally small.” 

“It means we as a people are losing our voice to be represented,” Hellwege said, “and our democracy relies on our engagement.”

This year’s top races — for governor and Congress — were not “highly competitive,” leaving South Dakotans of all political affiliations less interested in participating, Hellwege said.

Republicans who skipped the election may have been fatigued or figured they could “free ride” after a competitive primary in June and a runoff for the Republican nomination for governor in July, Hellwege said. Democrats may not have felt their votes mattered in a state dominated by Republican officials, she said, and independents may not have felt represented either. Complex ballot questions didn’t help, she added, saying that a lack of understanding about the proposed constitutional amendments may have kept some voters away.

Oglala Lakota County had the lowest turnout at 29%, followed by Corson at 33%, Ziebach at 36% and Dewey and Todd at 37% each. All five include tribal lands. Twenty-one of the state’s 66 counties reported turnout under 50%, including the two most populous, Minnehaha and Pennington.

Jones County had the highest turnout at 72%, followed by Harding at 66%, Sully at 62% and Grant and Haakon at 61% each.