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Rules governing school board election dates and timing in South Dakota
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| South Dakota overview: • Election dates: Off-cycle |
| Key policies: • Election dates and timing • Party labels on the ballot |
| Key terms • On-cycle elections • Off-cycle elections • Off-year elections • Off-date elections • Party labels • Partisan elections • Nonpartisan elections |
School board elections in South Dakota must be held in each district between the second Tuesday in April and the third Tuesday in June every year.
See law: South Dakota Statute section 13-7-10
There were 149 public school districts in South Dakota with a total of 853 school board member seats as of 2022. Those school districts operated a total of 694 schools serving 139,685 students.
You will find the following information on this page:
- the timing and frequency of school board elections
- candidate filing deadlines
- the number of school board members
- the length of school board terms
- the way in which elections for different board seats are staggered
- how South Dakota compares to other states
- when new board members officially take office.
Across the country, there are 13,024 public school districts governed by a total of about 82,600 board members. Most school board members are elected directly by voters, while a small number of districts have appointed school board members or a combination of appointed and elected school board members.
The timing of elections for school board members varies widely across states and even across districts in the same state in some cases. In 14 states, most school board elections are held on-cycle with federal elections in November of even-numbered years. Most school board elections in the other states are held off-cycle. This includes off-date elections—for example, elections held in the spring or summer—and off-year elections held in odd-numbered years.
On-cycle local elections have higher voter turnout than off-cycle local elections.
The information in this page was last updated in 2022. Please email editor@ballotpedia.org with any updates, corrections, exceptions, or improvements.
Election dates and frequency
School board elections in South Dakota must be held in each district between the second Tuesday in April and the third Tuesday in June every year. The school district board determines the election date for the district. School districts can but are not required to consolidate their elections with municipal elections on one of three dates: the second Tuesday in April, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June, or the third Tuesday in June. In 2023, 52% of districts scheduled their elections for the second Tuesday in April, 22% of districts scheduled their elections for the Tuesday after the first Monday in June, and 20% of districts scheduled their elections for the third Tuesday in June. The remaining 6% had unknown 2023 election date schedules or scheduled their elections for different unconsolidated dates.
See law: South Dakota Statute section 13-7-10
Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates
The candidate filing deadline for school board candidates is 39 days before the election unless the election is consolidated with a municipal election and the municipal election filing period dates are used.
See law: South Dakota Statute section 13-7-6
Newly elected school board members officially take office at the school board's annual meeting, which is held by default on the second Monday of July. The school board may set a different date for its annual meeting.
See law: South Dakota Statute section 13-8-10
Election system
Types of elections
School board members in South Dakota are elected through nonpartisan general elections without primaries.
See law: South Dakota Statute section 13-7-10
Party labels on the ballot
School board elections in South Dakota are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. South Dakota Statute Section 13-7-13 concerning the ballots for school district elections states, "No party affiliation may appear on the ballot and the names of the candidates for the respective vacancies shall be printed on the ballot."
See law: South Dakota Statute section 13-7-13
What it takes to win an election
The candidate or candidates who receive the most votes are elected to the open seat or seats that are up for election.
See law: South Dakota Statute section 13-7-10
Number, terms, and types of school board seats
Number of board members
School boards can have five, seven, or nine board members. As of 2022, 98 school districts (66%) had five board members, 50 school districts (32%) had seven board members, and two school districts (1%) had nine board members.
See law: South Dakota Statute section 13-7-6
Board member term lengths
School board members have three-year terms. Initial terms for school board members of newly formed districts or school board member seats that were newly added to increase the total number of board members are set to be one, two, or three years to stagger elections.
See law: South Dakota Statute section 13-8-2
School board member election staggering
As close to one-third of school board seats as possible are up for regular election every year.
See law: South Dakota Statute section 13-7-10
Representation: elections at-large or by sub-districts
School board members can be elected at large, by representation area (sub-district), or a combination of the two. School board members are elected at large by default, but school boards or voters through a ballot measure can establish school board representation areas. As of 2022, 143 districts (96%) elected all of their school board members at large, four districts (3%) elected all of their school board members from sub-districts, and two districts (1%) used a combination of the two.
See law: South Dakota Statute section 13-8-7
How does South Dakota compare to other states?
Across the country, there are 13,187 public school districts governed by a total of 83,183 school board members. They are elected directly by voters except for a small handful of exceptions who are appointed.
The analysis below is based on state laws governing school board elections and some researched common practices. In some states, the state law mandates a specific date. In others, the laws allow districts to choose their own election date from a range or a list of allowed dates or through charter provisions.
- 25 states have school board elections that are mostly held off cycle from federal elections. This includes both off-year and off-date elections.
- 10 of those states have school board elections that are mostly or at least commonly held on election dates in November of odd-numbered years.
- 16 of those states have school board elections mostly or at least commonly held on election dates that are not in November.
- 14 states have school board elections that are mostly held on cycle with federal elections in November of even-numbered years.
- 9 states either do not have state laws or overwhelmingly common practices that determine a specific school board election date or have varying school board election dates.
- Hawaii has a single, appointed school board.
See also
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School board election rules: |
School board election coverage: |
Terms and context: |
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Footnotes
