Endorsements in South Dakota school board elections, 2023

School Board Endorsements

2023

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Previous coverage: Conflicts in school board elections

South Dakota held 33 elections for 51 of the state's 853 school board seats in 2023. All 149 districts were slated to hold elections, but 117 canceled their elections because the number of candidates who ran was less than or equal to the number of seats up for election.

While South Dakota's school board elections are officially nonpartisan, Ballotpedia researched publicly-available voter files and candidate filing information to identify the partisan affiliation of candidates running in these elections.

Overall, of the 51 seats up for election:

• Registered Democrats won 31%
• Registered Republicans won 59%
• Registered independents or minor party candidates won 10%

Those totals include contested intra-party elections, which accounted for 41% of all seats up for election.

The remaining 59% of elections were between candidates with different partisan affiliations. Registered Republicans won 43% of these elections, followed by registered Democrats with 40% and registered independents or minor party candidates with 17%.

This page includes other analyses of South Dakota's school board elections, including open seats, incumbent defeat rates, and district partisan information.

Sixty-three percent of incumbents ran for re-election, leaving 37% of seats open, higher than the national average from Ballotpedia's coverage over the preceding five years.

Seventy-two percent of incumbents who ran for re-election in contested races won and 28% lost, roughly equal to the national average in contested races from Ballotpedia's coverage over the preceding five years.

This report also includes a catalog of every endorsement identified, along with breakdowns among the groups that issued the most endorsements. Local Democratic Party affiliates issued the most endorsements with three, followed by seven individuals and organizations with two, including local Republican Party affiliates and South Dakota Education Association chapters.

Among South Dakota's 149 school districts, registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans in 14, and registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats in 135. Learn more here.

Use the links below to navigate to:

• Election results
• Party performance
• Open seats
• Incumbents defeated
• Endorsement information and a full list of endorsements
• District information, including student-to-teacher ratios and partisan balance data
• Methodology

Election results

South Dakota held 33 elections for 51 school board seats in 2023.

• Registered Democrats won 16 seats (31%)
• Registered Republicans won 30 seats (59%)
• Registered independents or minor party candidates won five seats (10%)

The table below shows election results based on the party registration of the winning candidate. There were three types of elections:

• Uncontested, where there was no election. Ballotpedia was unable to provide a partisan analysis of uncontested races. South Dakota did not provide candidate information in these elections.
• Contested intra-party, where there was a contested election between members of the same political party; and,
• Contested inter-party, where there was a contested election between members of different political parties.

Figures show how many seats were won by candidates with the given party registration.

South Dakota school board election winners by party registration, 2023
Party	Uncontested		Contested intra-party		Contested inter-party		Total
	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
Democrats	-	-	4	7.8%	12	23.5%	16	31.4%
Republicans	-	-	17	33.3%	13	25.5%	30	58.8%
Other	-	-	0	0.0%	5	9.8%	5	9.8%
Total	-	-	21	41.2%	30	58.8%	51

Uncontested elections

In South Dakota, school districts are responsible for scheduling their own elections. School boards may opt to cancel an election if the number of candidates who run for office is less than or equal to the number of seats up for election. Ballotpedia conducted direct research on all school districts in South Dakota and determined that 117 of the state's 149 school districts (79%) did not schedule any elections in 2023. While the total number of districts that did not hold elections is known, the total number of seats that could have been up for election in those districts is unavailable.

Contested intra-party elections

There were 21 contested intra-party elections, representing 41% of all seats up for election. Intra-party elections are contested elections, meaning at least one candidate must lose, but every candidate on the ballot has the same party registration.

Contested inter-party elections

There were 30 contested inter-party elections, representing 59% of all seats up for election. Inter-party elections are contested elections, meaning at least one candidate must lose, that include candidates with different party registrations.

Registered Republicans won a plurality of seats in contested inter-party elections (43.3%), followed by registered Democrats (40.0%), and independents or candidates registered with a minor party (16.7%).

Click on the tab below to view full South Dakota election results

Show more

The spreadsheet below shows results from South Dakota's 2023 school board elections. The leftmost columns show district names, the offices up for election within those districts, and the number of seats up for election within those offices.

Winning and defeated candidates are shown under their respective columns and are highlighted based on their ideological lean as determined by the endorsements they received. Learn more about endorsements in South Dakota's school board elections here.

• Blue highlights indicate a liberal ideological lean
• Red highlights indicate a conservative ideological lean
• Purple highlights indicate a mixed ideological lean
• Dark gray highlights indicate the candidate received only neutral or unclear endorsements
• Light gray highlights indicate Ballotpedia identified no endorsements for the candidate

This list does not include candidates who withdrew or those defeated in primaries.

Incumbents are marked with a dark gray square to the right of their name.

Party performance

This section displays win and loss rates for candidates by their party registration, showing how they performed in contested elections featuring candidates registered with some other party.

In these 30 contested general elections:

• 19 candidates registered as Democrats ran, 12 of whom (63%) won;
• 31 candidates registered as Republicans ran, 13 of whom (42%) won; and,
• 10 candidates registered as independents or with a minor party ran, five of whom (50%) won.

Party performance in contested South Dakota school board elections, 2023
Party	Candidates	Won		Lost
		#	%	#	%
Democratic	19	12	63.2%	7	36.8%
Republican	31	13	41.9%	18	58.1%
Other	10	5	50.0%	5	50.0%

Incumbency

Open seats

Of the 51 seats up for election, 32 incumbents (63%) ran for re-election, meaning 19 seats (37%) were open. This open seat rate was above average compared to Ballotpedia's regular coverage scope over the preceding five years.

Between 2018 and 2022, on average, Ballotpedia recorded a 29% open seat rate within its regular coverage scope.

Overall, candidates filed to run in 32 districts in 2023. Of that total, 15 districts (47%) had no open seats, 15 (28%) had some open seats, and, in eight (25%), all seats were open.

Incumbents defeated

Of the 32 incumbents who ran for re-election in contested races, 23 (72%) won, and nine (28%) lost. This overall loss rate was roughly equal to Ballotpedia's regular coverage scope regarding incumbents in contested elections over the preceding five years.

Between 2018 and 2022, on average, Ballotpedia recorded a 26% contested loss rate within its regular coverage scope.

Overall, candidates filed to run in 32 districts in 2023. Of that total, no incumbents lost in 16 districts (50%), some incumbents lost in three districts (9%), and all incumbents lost in five districts (16%). There were eight districts (25%) where no incumbents ran for re-election.

Endorsements

Top endorsers

The table below shows the eight endorsers in South Dakota who endorsed more than one school board candidate. It includes a hoverable column with information about each endorser, the number of candidates they endorsed, and the number of endorsees who won.

Top South Dakota school board endorsers, 2023
Endorser	Info	Endorsees	Results
			Won	%	Lost	%
Democratic Party of South Dakota	About	3	2	66.7%	1	33.3%
Community organizer Yakuzan Annie Bachand	About	2	1	50.0%	1	50.0%
Rapid City School Board member Clay Colombe	About	2	1	50.0%	1	50.0%
Frmr. S.D. Democratic Party Native Outreach and Field Director Cante Heart	About	2	0	0.0%	2	100.0%
Republican Party of South Dakota	About	2	0	0.0%	2	100.0%
South Dakota Education Association	About	2	2	100.0%	0	0.0%
Support Public Education Rapid City	About	2	2	100.0%	0	0.0%
Frmr. state Rep. candidate Florence K. Thompson (R)	About	2	0	0.0%	2	100.0%

Top endorsees

There were nine candidates in who received more than one endorsement. The table below lists those candidates, the offices they ran for, the total number of endorsements they received based on the partisan lean of the endorser, and their election results. Incumbents are marked with (i).

Top South Dakota school board endorsees, 2023
Candidate	District	Endorsers			Result
		Liberal	Conservative	Other
Dawn Marie Johnson	Sioux Falls School District	10	1	1	Won
Carol Voss-Ward	Vermillion School District	9	0	3	Won
Christine Stephenson	Rapid City School District	4	1	3	Won
Amy Sazue	Rapid City School District	5	0	2	Lost
Paul Lloyd	Rapid City School District	0	5	0	Lost
Dan Cronin	Pierre School District	3	0	2	Won
Walter Swan Jr	Rapid City School District	1	0	2	Won
Tammy Clodfelter	Vermillion School District	0	2	0	Lost
Brian Mattson	Sioux Falls School District	0	2	0	Lost

Full endorsements list

The table below lists all endorsements identified by Ballotpedia among South Dakota school board candidates in 2023. The list is sorted alphabetically by district name. Click the headers to adjust sorting or use the search bar to look for specific districts, candidates, or endorsers. If a source link is not functioning properly, all links were archived with the Internet Archive if possible.

District information

Student-to-teacher ratio

The map below displays the student-to-teacher ratio in all South Dakota school districts. Hover for additional district characteristics.

Partisan balance

Using publicly-available voter registration information, Ballotpedia calculated the partisan balance of all of South Dakota's 149 school districts. Based on this research:

• Registered Democrats make up a majority of voters in six school districts and a plurality in eight.
• Registered Republicans make up a majority of voters in 103 districts and a plurality in 32.

Use the links in the table below to view the 10 school districts in South Dakota with the largest percentage of either Democratic or Republican voters or with the largest percentage of voters registered as independents or with a minor party.

Methodology

Terms and definitions

Descriptive endorsements

This research focuses on descriptive endorsements, those that help describe the stances or policy positions of a candidate. This is based on the assumption that endorsers tend to endorse candidates holding one or multiple positions that align with those of the endorser. If an endorser's positions are not readily apparent, their endorsements are not considered descriptive endorsements.

Examples of endorsers whose endorsements might be considered descriptive include political parties, issue-based organizations with clear policy stances, unions, current or former elected officials, and current or former party officers.

Apart from this section, any mention of endorsements refers to descriptive endorsements.

Endorser

An endorser is an individual or organization that has made a descriptive endorsement. Examples of which include, but are not limited to:

Individuals:

• Elected or former partisan officials
• Current or former party officers
• Individuals associated with a clear policy stance

Organizations:

• Unions
• Issue-based organizations with clear policy stances
• Political parties

Process

Identifying endorsements

Ballotpedia gathers endorsements using four primary methods:

• Submissions: Readers can submit endorsement information to Ballotpedia directly using this link. Ballotpedia staff reviews all submitted information daily to determine whether it warrants inclusion. Reader-submitted endorsements must include a link to a source verifying the endorsement to be included.

• Candidate Connection Surveys: Candidates who complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection Survey are asked to share any endorsements they have received. Any submitted endorsements will appear in the candidate's survey responses. Ballotpedia staff also reviews every survey with endorsement information to determine whether those submissions include descriptive endorsements to add to our overall tracking process. Candidates are invited to submit links to sources for their endorsements, but this is not required.

• Outreach: Ballotpedia staff contacts endorsers directly to request endorsement lists. At the start of the election cycle, every endorser will receive an email requesting information. Ballotpedia staff also contacts endorsers to clarify information and, if we see they have endorsed one candidate, to determine whether they have also endorsed others.

• Direct research: Ballotpedia staff conducts direct research, regularly checking all identified endorsers and relevant news media in each state. This research might also include looking at specific districts or candidates where endorsement activity appears likely.

Recording endorsements

Once an endorsement has been identified, it is recorded along with the date it was made (if known), a link to the source of the endorsement, and the date Ballotpedia staff learned of the endorsement. If possible, Ballotpedia archives every web source used to identify an endorsement.

For every recorded endorsement, Ballotpedia staff prepare a brief summary of the endorser. For individuals, this might include the party they are affiliated with, their statements regarding a particular policy, or their electoral history. For organizations, this might include the standards by which they issue endorsements, their mission statement, or any other statements regarding a particular policy. When available, Ballotpedia uses direct quotes from endorsers in these summaries, which appear beside each endorsement to provide added context to readers.

Labeling

After identifying an endorsement, Ballotpedia applies a partisan ideology label based on the policies the endorser supports or affiliation with other partisan organizations. Those labels are:

• Liberal: the endorser is either affiliated with the Democratic Party, supports traditionally liberal education policies, or opposes traditionally conservative education policies without also opposing traditionally liberal policies.
• Conservative: the endorser is either affiliated with the Republican Party, supports traditionally conservative education policies, or opposes traditionally liberal education policies without also opposing traditionally conservative policies.
• Neutral: the endorser is not affiliated with either major party and does not take specific policy stances, supportive or otherwise, examples of which include local newspapers.
• Unclear: the endorser would be of interest to voters, but Ballotpedia could not identify a partisan ideology, examples of which include former school board members.

As part of this analysis, Ballotpedia then uses the labels applied to endorsers to determine the partisan ideology of the endorsed candidate. Those resulting candidate ideology labels are:

• Liberal: the candidate received an endorsement from a liberal endorser and none from conservative endorsers.
• Conservative: the candidate received an endorsement from a conservative endorser and none from liberal endorsers.
• Mixed: the candidate received endorsements from liberal and conservative endorsers.
• Other: the candidate received endorsements from either neutral or unclear endorsers and none from liberal or conservative endorsers.

While candidates can receive a mixture of endorsements, primacy is given to liberal and conservative endorsements. For example, if a candidate received endorsements from liberal and neutral endorsers, their ideology label would be liberal.

Timing

Ballotpedia tracks and gathers endorsement information throughout the election cycle. If a district holds primary elections, endorsements are only added on-site after the primary date.

Voter registration

While most school board elections are officially nonpartisan, meaning candidates appear on the ballot without party labels, the state makes voter registration information publicly available. Ballotpedia used this information to identify each candidate's party registration in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota. Note: a candidate's party registration status does not necessarily indicate the candidate's personal ideologies. Many voters register to vote with one party and later find themselves more aligned with another party but do not update their registration as such. Understanding that their registration information is effectively public, voters may also choose a certain registration or affiliate with no party, with that in mind.

Ballotpedia first compared candidate names and school districts to the publicly available voter file to tie candidates with their party registration. The associated voter information was logged if the candidate’s name only appeared once in the school district. If the candidate’s name appeared multiple times in a single school district, Ballotpedia looked at each voter file entry to match the registration address with other identifiable information associated with the candidate. This method accounted for all duplicate entries.

If a candidate was registered under a different name than the one they filed to run with (i.e. registered as Robert Smith but running as Bob Smith), Ballotpedia used a variety of methods to pinpoint the candidate’s voter file information including:

• Looking for every person with the same last name as the candidate in the school district;
• Identifying known associates (i.e. children, spouses), and using public records to determine if any households had changed addresses;
• Utilizing publicly available social media information; or,
• A mixture of these three approaches.

Labeling

After identifying an endorsement, Ballotpedia applies a partisan ideology label based on the policies the endorser supports or affiliation with other partisan organizations. Those labels are:

• Liberal: the endorser is either affiliated with the Democratic Party or supports traditionally liberal education policies.
• Conservative: the endorser is either affiliated with the Republican Party or supports traditionally conservative education policies.
• Neutral: the endorser is not affiliated with either major party and does not take specific policy stances, examples of which include local newspapers.
• Unclear: the endorser would be of interest to voters, but Ballotpedia could not identify a partisan ideology, examples of which include former school board members.

As part of this analysis, Ballotpedia then uses the labels applied to endorsers to determine the partisan ideology of the endorsed candidate. Those resulting candidate ideology labels are:

• Liberal: the candidate received an endorsement from a liberal endorser and none from conservative endorsers.
• Conservative: the candidate received an endorsement from a conservative endorser and none from liberal endorsers.
• Mixed: the candidate received endorsements from liberal and conservative endorsers.
• Other: the candidate received endorsements from either neutral or unclear endorsers and none from liberal or conservative endorsers.

While candidates can receive a mixture of endorsements, primacy is given to liberal and conservative endorsements. For example, if a candidate received endorsements from liberal and neutral endorsers, their ideology label would be liberal.

Voter registration

While South Dakota's school board elections are officially nonpartisan, meaning candidates appear on the ballot without party labels, the state makes voter registration information publicly available. Ballotpedia used this information to identify each candidate's party registration. Note: a candidate's party registration status does not necessarily indicate the candidate's personal ideologies. Many voters register to vote with one party and, later on, find themselves more aligned with another party but do not update their registration as such. Understanding that their registration information is effectively public, voters may also choose a certain registration, or affiliate with no party, with that in mind.

To tie candidates with their party registration, Ballotpedia first compared candidate names and school districts to the publicly available voter file. If the candidate’s name only appeared once in the school district, the associated voter information was logged. If the candidate’s name appeared multiple times in a single school district, Ballotpedia looked at each voter file entry to match the registration address with other identifiable information associated with the candidate. This method accounted for all duplicate entries.

If a candidate was registered under a different name than the one they filed to run with (i.e. registered as Robert Smith but running as Bob Smith), Ballotpedia used a variety of methods to pinpoint the candidate’s voter file information including:

• Looking for every person with the same last name as the candidate in the school district;
• Identifying known associates (i.e. children, spouses), and using public records to determine if any households had changed addresses;
• Utilizing publicly available social media information; or,
• A mixture of these three approaches.

Using these methods, Ballotpedia identified the party registration information for all 97 school board candidates in South Dakota in 2023.

Elections by county

Navigate to South Dakota 2023 local elections overviews:
Aurora | Beadle | Bennett | Bon Homme | Brookings | Brown | Brule | Buffalo | Butte | Campbell | Charles Mix | Clark | Clay | Codington | Corson | Custer | Davison | Day | Deuel | Dewey | Douglas | Edmunds | Fall River | Faulk | Grant | Gregory | Haakon | Hamlin | Hand | Hanson | Harding | Hughes | Hutchinson | Hyde | Jackson | Jerauld | Jones | Kingsbury | Lake | Lawrence | Lincoln | Lyman | Marshall | McCook | McPherson | Meade | Mellette | Miner | Minnehaha | Moody | Oglala Lakota | Pennington | Perkins | Potter | Roberts | Sanborn | Spink | Stanley | Sully | Todd | Tripp | Turner | Union | Walworth | Yankton | Ziebach

See also

• Endorsements in school board elections, 2023
• School board elections, 2023

Footnotes

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