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South Dakota state executive official elections, 2016
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One state executive office in South Dakota
was
up for election in 2016:
|
Context of the 2016 elections
Primary elections
A primary election is an election in which voters select the candidate they believe should represent a political party in a general election. Primaries usually take place several months before a general election. In South Dakota, the Democratic Party conducts a hybrid primary, in which both registered party members and unaffiliated voters may participate. The Republican Party limits participation in its primary to registered party members.[1] However, major party candidates for public service commissioner were chosen at the party conventions in lieu of appearing on the primary ballot.
South Dakota's primary elections took place on June 7, 2016, with the conventions June 24 to June 25.
Party control in South Dakota
South Dakota state government has been under Republican trifecta control since 1995. The governor's seat has been held by a Republican since 1978; the state's electoral votes have not gone to a Democratic presidential candidate since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.[2] All partisan executive offices are also held by Republicans.
That is not to say Democrats have not enjoyed any success in statewide elections—Democrat Tim Johnson represented the state in the U.S. Senate from 1997 to 2015, and Democrat Thomas A. Daschle also held a Senate seat from 1987 to 2005.
All three of the seats on the Public Utilities Commission are held by Republicans. No Democrat has served on the commission since Jim Burg left office in 2005.[3][4]
2016 elections
Public Utilities Commission
South Dakota held an election for one seat on the Public Utilities Commission on November 8, 2016. Incumbent Chris Nelson (R) won election to a full term.
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Voter registration
For full information about voting in South Dakota, contact the state election agency.
Registration
To vote in South Dakota, you must:[5]
| “ |
☐ Be a United States citizen |
” |
| —South Dakota Secretary of State | ||
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
South Dakota does not permit online voter registration.
Past elections
| Candidate ballot access |
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| Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. |
2015
There were no state executive elections in South Dakota in 2015.
2014
Eight state executive offices were up for election including governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, land commissioner and one seat on the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission.
- South Dakota down ballot state executive elections, 2014
- South Dakota state executive official elections, 2014
- South Dakota Attorney General election, 2014
- South Dakota gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2014
- South Dakota Secretary of State election, 2014
2013
There were no elections in South Dakota in 2013.
2012
Two seats on the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission were up for election.
State profile
| Demographic data for South Dakota | ||
|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 857,919 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 75,811 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 85% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 1.6% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.2% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 8.6% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.6% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 3.3% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 90.9% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 27% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $50,957 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 15.3% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in South Dakota. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
South Dakota voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in South Dakota, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.[7]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. South Dakota had four Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 2.21 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More South Dakota coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in South Dakota
- United States congressional delegations from South Dakota
- Public policy in South Dakota
- Endorsers in South Dakota
- South Dakota fact checks
- More...
See also
| South Dakota | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Primary types," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ National Archives and Records Administration, "Historical Election Results," accessed June 23, 2016
- ↑ LinkedIn, "James Burg," accessed June 23, 2016
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Search for historical election data," accessed June 23, 2016
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Register to Vote," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
