South Dakota

SOUTH DAKOTA

3 Electoral Votes

Population
(Source: U.S. Census Bureau, South Dakota Secretary of State)

Total Population, July 2008 est.	804,194
Registered Voters, Nov. 2008	530,462 (active)

Rep. 241,528 (45.53%) Dem. 204,413 (38.53%) Const. 315 Lib. 1,059 Other 674 Indep. 82,473 (15.55%)
South Dakota has: 66 counties.
Largest counties: Minnehaha, Pennington. >
Largest cities: Sioux Falls, Rapid City. >

Government
Governor: Mike Rounds (R) elected in 2002, re-elected in 2006.
State Legislature: South Dakota Legislature House: 70 seats Senate: 35 seats
Local: Cities, Counties, Tribes NACO Counties
U.S. House: 1D - S.Herseth Sandlin (D).
U.S. Senate: Tim Johnson (D) up for re-election in 2008, John Thune (R) re-elected in 2004.

2008 update
U.S. Senate: Sen. Tim Johnson (D), first elected in 1996, defeated Assistant House Majority Leader Joel Dykstra (R) by 62.5% to 37.5%.
U.S. House: Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D) defeated Chris Lien (R) by 67.6% to 32.4%.
State Legislature: Republicans maintain majorities in both chambers.
More: Voters defeated six of seven ballot measures.

The Mount Rushmore State

State of South Dakota
Secretary of State

SD Democratic Party
SD Libertarian Party
SD Republican Party
Constitution Party of SD
Green contact

Argus Leader
Newspapers
TV, Radio

Politics1-SD

General Election -- Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Voting Eligible Population*: 598,635.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 63.8%.

Absentee and early voting started Sept. 23.

Official Results >
Obama/Biden (Dem.)	170,924	(44.75)
Baldwin/Castle (Const.)	1,895	(0.50)
+McCain/Palin (Rep.)	203,054	(53.16)
Barr/Root (Ind.)	1,835	(0.48)
Nader/Gonzalez (Ind.)	4,267	(1.12)
Total........381,975

2008 Overview
South Dakota remained in the Republican column as it has since LBJ took the state in 1964. McCain-Palin won South Dakota's three electoral votes with a plurality of 32,130 votes (8.41 percentage points). McCain carried 50 counties to 16 for Obama. McCain spoke at the Sturgis rally at Buffalo Chip Campground on Aug. 4 and overnighted in Rapid City. He had no staff or office in state. Obama only visited during the primary (May 31 and June 1) but his campaign did open an office in Sioux Falls. McCain received endorsements of the Argus Leader (Oct. 26), Mitchell Daily Republic (Oct. 27) and Rapid City Journal (Nov. 3); former Sen. Larry Pressler (R) endorsed Obama.
Obama/Allies | McCain/Allies | Nader

Primary Election -- Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Registration, May 19, 2008 (active): Rep. 235,388 (46.31%) Dem. 195,063 (38.38%) Const. 297 Lib. 1,002 Other 596 Indep. 75,894 (14.93%) Total 508,240.

Democrats
23 Delegates (15 Pledged and 8 Unpledged) and 4 Alternates.
0.57% of the 4,047 Delegate Votes.

Clinton | Obama former: Edwards

Official Results

+Hillary Clinton	54,128	55.35%
Barack Obama	43,669	45.65%
Total	97,797

Republicans
27 Delegates: 3 RNC, 21 at-large, 3 CD (3 x 1 CD).
1.13% of the 2,380 Delegates.

McCain former: Huckabee

Official Results

Ron Paul	10,072	16.52%
+John McCain	42,788	70.19%
Mike Huckabee	4,328	7.10%
uncommitted	1,786	2.93%
Mitt Romney	1,990	3.26%
Total	60,964

Setting the Primary Date
Statutes governing the selection of national convention delegates are contained in South Dakota Codified Laws Title 12 - Elections (§12-2-1 sets the date of the primary election as the first Tuesday in June).

South Dakota Codified Laws §12-5-3.14. "Any candidate, committee, or group supporting a candidate in any presidential primary, shall, by the last Tuesday in March prior to the presidential primary election, notify the secretary of state of an intention to have the name of the candidate placed on the presidential primary election ballot or submit a slate of candidates or both."

General Election -- Tuesday, November 2, 2004

Voting Eligible Population*: 569,161.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 68.2%.

Voter registration deadline for the general election is October 18, 2004. (SDCL 12-4-5)

Ralph Nader's Independent presidential campaign reported that it submitted more than 5,100 signatures on August 2, 2004. South Dakota requires 3,346 valid signatures signatures by August 3.

Official Results
+Bush/Cheney (Rep.)	232,544	(59.91)
Kerry/Edwards (Dem.)	149,225	(38.44)
Nader (Ind.)	4,317	(1.11)
Peroutka (Const.)	1,106	(0.28)
Badnarik (Lib.)	964	()
Total........388,156

2004 Overview
President Bush won South Dakota with a plurality of 83,289 votes (21.47 percentage points)

General Election -- Tuesday, November 7, 2000

Voting Eligible Population*: 548,498.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 57.7%.

As a result of S.B. 34, passed and signed into law in 1999, South Dakota's petition filing deadline for independent candidates was moved up to June 20, 2000, third earliest in the nation (before Nader even accepted the Greens' nomination on June 25). Nader needed signatures of registered voters equal to at least one per cent of the total votes cast for Governor in the previous gubernatorial election (2,602 valid signatures) by June 20. The campaign took the matter to court but was unsuccessful.

Official Results
+Bush/Cheney (Rep.)	190,700	(60.30)
Buchanan/Foster (Ref.)	3,322	(1.05)
Gore/Lieberman (Dem.)	118,804	(37.56)
Browne/Olivier (Lib.)	1,662	(0.53)
Phillips/Frazier (Ind.)	1,781	(0.56)
Total........316,269

2000 Overview
The presidential race had turned out fairly close in South Dakota in 1992 and 1996, but not this time around as Bush won with a plurality of 71,896 votes (22.74 percentage points). Bush carried 61 of 66 counties, including the two largest; Gore won five small counties scattered around the state.

1992 and 1996 General Elections

1992

Bush (Rep.)...........136,718	(40.66)
Clinton (Dem.).......124,888	(37.14)
Perot (Ind.)..............73,295	(21.80)
Others (3).................1,353	(0.40)
Total........336,254
Total Registration: 448,292
Turnout: 336,254
Turnout as % of Reg.: 75.0%

1996

Dole (Rep.)............150,543	(46.49)
Clinton (Dem.).......139,333	(43.03)
Perot (Ind.).............31,250	(9.65)
Others (3).................2,700	(0.83)
Total........323,826
Total Registration: 455,971
Turnout: 329,316
Turnout as % of Reg.: 71.6%

2004 page >
2000 page >