SOUTH DAKOTA 3 Electoral Votes 
link to clickable map
Population 
(Source: U.S. Census Bureau, South Dakota Secretary of State)
Total Resident Population, July 1, 2012 est.
 833,354
Registered Voters, Nov. 2012
 528,621 (active)
Rep. 243,113 (45.99%)   Dem. 189,493 (35.85%)   Const. 349   Lib. 1,126    Other 598   Indep.  93,942 (17.77%)
South Dakota has: 66 counties.
Largest counties: Minnehaha, Pennington. >
Largest cities: Sioux Falls, Rapid City. >

Government
Governor: Dennis Daugaard (R) elected in 2010. 
State Legislature: South Dakota Legislature  House: 70 seats  Senate: 35 seats
Local: Cities, Counties, Tribes   NACO Counties
U.S. House: 1R - K.Noem (R).
U.S. Senate: Tim Johnson (D) re-elected in 2008, John Thune (R) re-elected in 2010.
2012
 		U.S. House: Rep Kristi Noem (R) defeated Matt Varilek (D) by 57.45% to 42.55%. 
State Legislature: Republicans maintained strong majorities in both chambers.  The House went from 50R, 20D to 53R, 17D and the Senate from 28R, 7D to 30R, 5D.
Ballot Measures: South Dakotans weighed in on seven ballot measures.

 State of South Dakota
Secretary of State

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

Argus Leader
Newspapers
TV, Radio

Conserv. SD War College
Prog. Lefty Blogs-SD

Politics1-SD
Ballotpedia-SD


The Mount Rushmore State

General Election -- Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Voting Eligible Population*: 612,310.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 59.4%.


Voter Registration Deadline: Oct. 22, 2012.
Official Results >
 
Obama/Biden (Dem.)
 145,039
 (39.87)
Goode/Clymer (Const.)
 2,371
 (0.65)
+Romney/Ryan (Rep.)
 210,610
 (57.89)
Johnson/Gray (I)
 5,795
 (1.59)
Total........363,815

Total voter turnout 368,570.
 Overview: The Romney-Ryan ticket won with a plurality of 65,571 votes (18.02 percentage points), carrying 56 counties to 10 for Obama-Biden.  The only campaign visit was Libertarian VP nominee Jim Gray's appearance at the University of South Dakota on Sept. 12.  (Vice President Joe Biden made a non-campaign visit on Oct. 25; he spoke at evening prayer service for Sen. George McGovern in Sioux Falls).
Obama  |  (Romney)
BALLOT [PDF]

Primary Election -- Tuesday, June 5, 2012


Republicans
28 Delegates (3 RNC; 22 at-large; 3 by CD).
1.24% of the 2,286 Delegates. 

Official Results >
Uncommitted
 2,771
5.42%
Ron Paul
 6,657
13.02%
+Mitt Romney
 33,872
66.23%
Rick Santorum
 		5,844
 		11.43%
Newt Gingrich
 2,001
3.91%
Total 51,145

Note: Sen. John Thune (R), who served as chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, the fourth-ranking leadership position among Senate Republicans, was seen as a potential 2012 presidential candidate, but ruled out a run on Feb. 22, 2011. (+)
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.

Registration: Rep. 241,528 (45.53%)   Dem. 204,413 (38.53%)   Const. 315   Lib. 1,059   Other 674   Indep. 82,473 (15.55%)   ...Total 530,462 (active)
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

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
Archive Pages: 2008 | 2004 | 2000 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%