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South Dakota Secretary of State
| South Dakota Secretary of State | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $120,910 |
| 2025 FY Budget: | $4,350,821 |
| Term limits: | 2 consecutive terms |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | South Dakota Constitution, Article 4, Section 7 |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder(s) | |
South Dakota Secretary of State
Monae Johnson | |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | November 3, 2026 |
| Last election: | November 8, 2022 |
| Other South Dakota Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Commissioner of School and Public Lands • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission | |
The Secretary of State of South Dakota is an elected executive position in the South Dakota state government. The secretary is responsible for maintaining official public documents, registering state lobbyists and administrating corporations, among other duties. The secretary also serves as the chief elections officer and chair of the state board of elections.
South Dakota has a Republican triplex. The Republican Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.
Current officeholder
The current South Dakota Secretary of State is Monae Johnson (R). Johnson assumed office in 2022.
Authority
The secretary of state's office is established in Article 4, Section 7 of the South Dakota Constitution.
Article IV, Section 7:
| There shall be chosen by the qualified electors of the state at the general election of the Governor and every four years thereafter the following constitutional officers: attorney general, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, and commissioner of school and public lands, who shall severally hold their offices for a term of four years. Commencing with the 1992 general election, no person may be elected to more than two consecutive terms as attorney general, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, or commissioner of school and public lands. [1] |
Qualifications
There are no specific qualifications for this office.
Elections
Article IV, Section 7 specifies that the secretary of state is to be elected every four years.[1]
Term limits
Term limits for the secretary of state are defined by Article IV, Section 7 of the South Dakota Constitution, which prevents a secretary of state from being elected to more than two consecutive terms.
South Dakota Constitution, Article IV, Section 7:
| “ | There shall be chosen by the qualified electors of the state at the general election of the Governor and every four years thereafter the following constitutional officers: attorney general, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, and commissioner of school and public lands, who shall severally hold their offices for a term of four years. Commencing with the 1992 general election, no person may be elected to more than two consecutive terms as attorney general, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, or commissioner of school and public lands.[2] | ” |
2022
General election
General election for South Dakota Secretary of State
Monae Johnson defeated Tom Cool in the general election for South Dakota Secretary of State on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Monae Johnson (R) | 63.9 | 212,348 |
 | Tom Cool (D) | 36.1 | 119,975 | |
| Total votes: 332,323 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Kurt Evans (L)
Democratic convention
Democratic convention for South Dakota Secretary of State
Tom Cool advanced from the Democratic convention for South Dakota Secretary of State on July 9, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Tom Cool (D) |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican convention
Republican convention for South Dakota Secretary of State
Monae Johnson defeated incumbent Steve Barnett in the Republican convention for South Dakota Secretary of State on June 25, 2022.
Candidate | ||
 | Steve Barnett (R) | |
| ✔ | | Monae Johnson (R) |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for South Dakota Secretary of State
Kurt Evans advanced from the Libertarian convention for South Dakota Secretary of State on April 23, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ |  | Kurt Evans (L) |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Past elections
Vacancies
Article IV, Section 3 of the state constitution grants the governor the authority to fill any vacancy in the office of secretary of state by appointment.[1]
Duties
Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches the constitutional or statutory text that outlines the key responsibilities of a state executive office; information for the South Dakota Secretary of State has not yet been added. After extensive research we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.
Divisions
As of February 2021, divisions within the secretary of state's office included:[3]
- Election Services
- Business Services
- General Services
State budget
- See also: South Dakota state budget and finances
The budget for the Secretary of State's office in Fiscal Year 2025 was $4,350,821.[4]
Compensation
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
See statutes: SD Codified L § 3-8-2.1 (2014)
The secretary of state's annual compensation is set by Title 3, Chapter 8, Section 2 (§ 3-8-2.1) of the South Dakota Codified Laws and it may not be raised or diminished during a term in office, pursuant to Article XII, Section 3 of the South Dakota Constitution.
The secretary of state's base salary is subject to annual rate increases under the General Appropriations Act for each corresponding year.[5]
2023
In 2023, the officer's salary was $120,910, according to the Council of State Governments.[6]
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $97,185, according to the Council of State Governments.[7]
2021
In 2021, the secretary of state received a salary of $94,906, according to the Council of State Governments.[8]
2020
In 2020, the secretary of state received a salary of $93,046 according to the Council of State Governments.[9]
2019
In 2019, the secretary of state received a salary of $89,700 according to the Council of State Governments.[10]
2018
In 2018, the secretary of state received a salary of $89,700 according to the Council of State Governments.[11]
2017
In 2017, the secretary of state received a salary of $89,700 according to the Council of State Governments.[12]
2016
In 2016, the secretary of state received a salary of $87,341 according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2015
In 2015, the secretary of state received a salary of $85,629 according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2014
In 2014, the secretary received a salary of $83,135 according to the Council of State Governments.[15]
2013
In 2013, the secretary received a salary of $80,714 according to the Council of State Governments.[16]
2010
In 2010, the secretary received a salary of $78,363 according to the Council of State Governments.[17]
Historical officeholders
Secretaries of State
There have been 30 South Dakota Secretaries of State since 1889. Of the 30 officeholders, 26 were Republicans and four were Democrats.[18]
| List of officeholders from 1889-Present | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Tenure | Party | ||
| 1 | A.O. Ringsrud | 1889 – 1893 |  Republican
| ||
| 2 | Thomas Thorson | 1893 – 1897 | Republican
| ||
| 3 | William H. Roddle | 1897 – 1901 | Republican
| ||
| 4 | O.C. Berg | 1901 – 1905 | Republican
| ||
| 5 | David D. Wipf | 1905 – 1909 | Republican
| ||
| 6 | Samuel C. Polley | 1909 – 1913 | Republican
| ||
| 7 | Frank Glasner | 1913 – 1915 | Republican
| ||
| 8 | Frank M. Rood | 1915 – 1919 | Republican
| ||
| 9 | C.A. Burkhart | 1919 – 1922b | Republican
| ||
| 10 | Clarence E. Coyne | 1922 – 1927 | Republican
| ||
| 11 | Gladys Pyle | 1927 – 1931 | Republican
| ||
| 12 | Elizabeth Coyne | 1931 – 1933 | Republican
| ||
| 13 | Myrtle Morrison | 1933 – 1937 |  Democratic
| ||
| 14 | Goldie Wells | 1937 – 1939 | Democratic
| ||
| 15 | Olive A. Ringsrud | 1939 – 1943 | Republican
| ||
| 16 | L.M. Larsen | 1943 – 1947 | Republican
| ||
| 17 | Annamae Riff | 1947 – 1951 | Republican
| ||
| 18 | Geraldine Ostroot | 1951 – 1957 | Republican
| ||
| 19 | Clara Halls | 1957 – 1959 | Republican
| ||
| 20 | Selma Sandness | 1959 – 1961 | Democratic
| ||
| 21 | Essie Wiedenman | 1961 – 1965 | Republican
| ||
| 22 | Alma Larson | 1965 – 1973 | Republican
| ||
| 23 | Lorna B. Herseth | 1973 – 1979 | Democratic
| ||
| 24 | Alice Kundert | 1979 – 1987 | Republican
| ||
| 25 | Joyce Hazeltine | 1987 – 2003 | Republican
| ||
| 26 | Chris Nelson | 2003 – 2011 | Republican
| ||
| 27 | Jason Gant | 2011 – 2015 | Republican
| ||
| 28 | Shantel Krebs | 2015 – 2019 | Republican
| ||
| 29 | Steve Barnett | 2019 – 2022 | Republican
| ||
| 30 | Monae Johnson | 2022 – present | Republican
| ||
Secretaries of Dakota Territory
Between 1861 and 1889 there were 10 Secretaries of Dakota Territory.[18]
| List of officeholders from 1861-1889 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Tenure | |||
| 1 | John Hutchinson | 1861 – 1865 | |||
| 2 | S.L. Spink | 1865 – 1869 | |||
| 3 | T.M. Wilkins | 1869 – 1870 | |||
| 4 | G.A. Batchelder | 1870 – 1872 | |||
| 5 | Edwin S. McCook | 1872 – 1873 | |||
| 6 | Oscar Whitney | 1873 – 1874 | |||
| 7 | George A. Hand | 1874 – 1883 | |||
| 8 | J.M. Tellre | 1883 – 1886 | |||
| 9 | Michael L. McCormack | 1886 – 1889 | |||
| 10 | L.B. Richardson | 1889 | |||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms South Dakota Secretary of State. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
Contact information
South Dakota Secretary of State
500 East Capitol Avenue, Suite 204
Pierre, SD 57501-5070
See also
| South Dakota | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 South Dakota Legislature, "South Dakota Constitution," accessed February 2, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Contact Us," accessed February 2, 2021
- ↑ South Dakota Bureau of Finance and Management, "Budget in Brief - Fiscal Year 2025," accessed January 23, 2025
- ↑ Justia.com, "2014 South Dakota Codified Laws: Title 3 - PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES: Chapter 08 - Compensation of Officers and Employees § 3-8-2.1: Adjustment of salaries of constitutional officers and judges," accessed February 2, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 21, 2025
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 28, 2022
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2020," accessed February 2, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2019," accessed February 2, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2018," accessed February 2, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2017," accessed February 2, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed December 8, 2014
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," January 28, 2014
- ↑ The Council of State Governments, "The Book of States 2010 Table 4.11," accessed May 14, 2011
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 South Dakota Blue Book 2009, "Chapter 4," accessed February 2, 2021
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