The Green Papers: South Dakota 2020 General Election
 
This page is for offices up for election in 2020. Find 2021 elections here.

Flag images courtesy of The World Flag Database. Copyright http://www.flags.net/ South Dakota
Elections for Statewide offices and Congress
✓ Primary: Tuesday 2 June 2020
✓ Secondary Election (runoff - no contests covered by this website advance to a runoff)): Tuesday 11 August 2020
✓ General Election: Tuesday 3 November 2020
Tuesday 31 March 2020 - Filing Deadline - Primary/Third/Minor .
Tuesday 28 April 2020 - Filing Deadline - Independent .
Tuesday 2 June 2020 - Primary . Polling hours 7:00a-7:00p CDT (1200-0000 UTC) / 7:00a-7:00p MDT (1300-0100 UTC).
Tuesday 4 August 2020 - Filing deadline - Independent President .
Tuesday 11 August 2020 - Secondary Election (runoff - no contests covered by this website advance to a runoff)) . Polling hours 7:00a-7:00p CDT (1200-0000 UTC) / 7:00a-7:00p MDT (1300-0100 UTC).
Tuesday 3 November 2020 - General Election . Polling hours 7:00a-7:00p CST (1300-0100 UTC) / 7:00a-7:00p MST (1400-0200 UTC).
 
Senators:2(Electoral Classes 2 and 3)
Governor:1 
2010 Census:819,761 (0.26% of 309,785,186)
2012, 2016, 2020 Electoral Votes:3(0.56% of 538)
2012-2020 Representatives:1(0.23% of 435)
Capital:Pierre
 

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South Dakota State and Local Government

South Dakota 2020 Presidential Primaries, Caucuses, and Conventions:
Democrats   Republicans


Offices nominated by party primary election: U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, Governor. Unopposed appear on the Primary ballot.

Offices nominated by Republican, Democratic, Constitution, and Libertarian political party convention: Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, State Auditor, State Treasurer, Commission of School and Public Lands.

South Dakota does not permit write-ins.

If no candidate for United States Senate, U.S. House of Representatives or Governor receives 35% of the vote in the primary, a secondary election, between the two highest vote getters, shall be held 10 weeks from the date of the primary election.

If a candidate is unopposed, there is no Primary.


2020 Election Information from the South Dakota Secretary of State.


2 June 2020 Primary results, results from a media source.


2020 General Election from the South Dakota Secretary of State.

3 November 2020 returns from the South Dakota Secretary of State.

 
           

President  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2020, 2024. Term Limit: No more than 2 4-year terms in a lifetime. Electors: 3 (Winner-take-all), How Appointed, Meeting Place, Duly Appointed Presidential Electors, List of Presidential Candidates by State, List of Presidential Candidates.
Up for election in 2020
 Candidate list (3)
  Elected Republican 261,043 61.77% President Donald John Trump
for Vice President: Vice President Michael R. "Mike" Pence
(3 Electoral Votes)
FEC P80001571; 23 Nov 20; Tot $717,303,371; Dsb $718,174,436
  Candidate Democratic 150,471 35.61% former Vice President Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr.
for Vice President: California Senator Kamala D. Harris
FEC P80000722; 23 Nov 20; Tot $1,064,613,463; Dsb $1,063,053,521
  Candidate Libertarian 11,095 2.63% Jo Jorgensen
for Vice President: Jeremy "Spike" Cohen
FEC P00013524; 23 Nov 20; Tot $3,405,357; Dsb $3,373,521
Total 422,609 100.00%  

U.S. Senate  6 year term. No Term Limit. 116th Senate  Senate Electoral Classes

Class 2
Seat up for regular election
Republican Senator Marion Michael "Mike" Rounds
• Re-elected Tuesday 3 November 2020
First elected: 2014
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 3 November 2020
Renominated
 Candidate list (2)
  Elected Republican 276,232 65.74% Senator Marion Michael "Mike" Rounds
FEC S4SD00049; 23 Nov 20; Tot $3,657,143; Dsb $2,357,669
  Candidate Democratic 143,987 34.26% former state Senator Dan Ahlers
FEC S0SD00070; 31 Dec 20; Tot $273,833; Dsb $253,114
Total 420,219 100.00%  

Class 3 Republican Senator John R. Thune
Served in U.S. House- first elected: 1996; re-elected: 1998, 2000. Unsuccessful candidate for Senate 2002. First elected to the U.S. Senate: 2004; re-elected: 2010, 2016.
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 8 November 2022

Governor  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2018, 2022. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms, All Governors

  Republican Governor Kristi Lynn Noem
First elected: 2018.
Previously served in the U.S. House 2011-2019.
Chair up for regular election: Tuesday 8 November 2022
The current Governor is unaffected by the State's term limit.

Lieutenant Governor  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2018, 2022. Elected on a ticket with the Governor. No separate primaries for Gov and Lt Gov.

  Republican Lieutenant Governor Larry Rhoden
First elected: 2018.
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 8 November 2022

116th U.S. House of Representatives  2-year term. Election Cycle 2020, 2021. No Term Limit. 116th House
Partisan Composition (primary disposition):
1 Republican (1 Renominated)

Incumbent - 116th Congress
At-Large
Seat up for regular election
Republican Member of Congress Dustin "Dusty" Johnson
• Re-elected Tuesday 3 November 2020
First elected: 2018
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 3 November 2020
Renominated
 Candidate list (2) - 117th Congress
  Elected Republican 321,984 80.96% Member of Congress Dustin "Dusty" Johnson
FEC H8SD01055; 31 Dec 20; Tot $1,694,504; Dsb $700,356
  Candidate Libertarian 75,748 19.04% Randy "Uriah" Luallin
FEC H0SD00088
Total 397,732 100.00%  

Secretary of State  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2018, 2022

  Republican Secretary of State Steve Barnett
First elected: 2018
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 8 November 2022
  
Candidates for this office are nominated at the state conventions of each political party.

Attorney General  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2018, 2022

  Republican Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg
First elected: 2018
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 8 November 2022
  
Candidates for this office are nominated at the state conventions of each political party.

Treasurer  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2018, 2022

  Republican Treasurer Josh Haeder
First elected: 2018
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 8 November 2022
  
Candidates for this office are nominated at the state conventions of each political party.

Auditor  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2018, 2022

  Republican Auditor Richard L. "Rich" Sattgast
First elected: 2018
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 8 November 2022
  
Candidates for this office are nominated at the state conventions of each political party.

Commissioner of School and Public Lands  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2018, 2022

  Republican School and Public Lands Commissioner Ryan Brunner
First elected: 2014; re-elected: 2018.
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 8 November 2022
 Candidates for this office are nominated at the state conventions of each political party.
 

Political Parties    Parties appear in parenthesis and italics when a candidate receives the endorsement of a given Party and/or official sources indicate a candidate's association with a particular Party but only where the Party in question does not appear on the actual ballot as such.

Major Parties   Those parties which received electoral votes through winning a plurality of a state's [or the District of Columbia's] popular vote in any presidential election between 1984 and 2016. See Classification of Political parties.
  Democratic (affiliates): 2 candidates
  Republican: 10 incumbents, 3 candidates
Major Third Parties   Any Party, other than a Major Party, receiving a minimum of 15/100ths of 1 percent of the nationwide popular vote in any presidential election between 1984 and 2016. See Classification of Political parties.
  Libertarian: 2 candidates
 
Candidates running under the banner of more than one party are counted towards each party's total. A candidate who has lost a primary or is apparently no longer a candidate is not counted.

Notes

Candidates for office appear on this page in italics where 'The Green Papers' does not yet have independent confirmation from a legal election authority that the person has been officially certified to appear on the ballot.

Primary dates marked "presumably" and polling times marked "reportedly" are based on unofficial or estimated data (especially as regards local variations from a jurisdictionwide statutory and/or regulatory standard) and are, thereby, subject to change.

"FEC" indicates the Federal Election Commission (FEC) Campaign Finance Summary.

When available, we post each candidate's FEC identification number, the date of their most recently filed Report of Receipts and Disbursements, their "Tot" [Total Receipts (contributions received or what came in: FEC Form 3, Line 16, Column B)] and their "Dsb" [Total Disbursements (expenditures or what was spent: FEC Form 3, Line 23, Column B)]. A link is provided to the Federal Election Commission's Summary Report for those who might wish to explore the details.

If a candidate raises or spends $5,000 or less, he or she is not subject to FEC reporting requirements.


Links Links to other web sites

Constitution   Links to State Constitutions
  South Dakota Constitution
Election Authority
  South Dakota Secretary of State
Legislature   Links to State Legislatures
  South Dakota Legislature
  South Dakota Legislature - Legislative Research Council
Democratic
  South Dakota Democratic Party
Republican
  The South Dakota Republican Party
Third Party
  South Dakota Libertarian Party
Media & others
  Capital Journal - Pierre
  Daily Press & Dakotan - Yankton
  Dakota Free Press
  KELO AM - Sioux Falls
  KNBN TV-21 (NBC - Rapid City)
  KOTA TV - ABC - Rapid City
  KSFY TV - ABC - Sioux Falls
  KSOO AM - Sioux Falls
  NewsLink - South Dakota Newspapers
  Plainsman - Huron
  Politics1.com - South Dakota
  Rapid City Journal
  South Dakota Public Broadcasting
  South Dakota War College - Brookings
  The Brookings Register
  The Daily Republic - Mitchell

 


  2020 General Election Home  
 
  President Popular Vote and FEC Total Receipts by Party  
  117th U.S. Senate Popular Vote and FEC Total Receipts by Party  
  Gubernatorial Popular Vote by Party  
  117th U.S. House Popular Vote and FEC Total Receipts by Party  
  Close Contests Summary - Decision by 2% or less  
  Contests Where No Candidate Received a Majority  
 
Electoral College
  Allocation  
  How Appointed   --   Meeting Place   --   Tabulation Joint Session of Congress  
  Duly Appointed Electors  
  THE "FAITHLESS ELECTORS" - Presidential Electors who have defected in the past  
  May Electors Defect?  
  DATES OF U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION "EVENTS": 1789 to the present  
  "APPARENT" ELECTORAL VOTE for President of the United States: 1856 to present  
  ELECTORAL VOTE for President of the United States (as pledged and as officially counted)  
  ELECTORAL VOTE for Vice President of the United States (as pledged and as officially counted)  
 
2020 Primaries and Runoffs for Statewide offices/Congress
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  Gubernatorial Primaries at a Glance   --   Senatorial Primaries at a Glance  
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  Open Governor's Chairs, Senate and House Seats (the incumbent is not running for re-election)  
  Governor's Chairs, Senate, and U.S. House Seats with no incumbent running for them  
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  2020 Partisan Composition by State  
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  Political Parties  
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  Senate Electoral Classes  
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  Statewide Political Party Strength going into the 2020 Presidential Election  
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  Comparative Political Party Predominance in each State, 2000 thru 2016  
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History
  Political Party Floor Leaders in the Congress of the United States  
  Dates of DIRECT PRIMARY Elections re: Major Party Nominations for Statewide and/or Federal Office  
  Length of Terms of Office of STATE Governors throughout American History  
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  Dates of U.S. Presidential Election "Events": 1789 to present  
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  Complete Constitutional provisions for the election of the President and Vice-President  
  Complete Federal Law governing the election of a President and Vice-President and filling of vacancies of the same  
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  (downloads)