MITCHELL, SD (Mitchell Now) Absentee voting for the 2026 general election begins Friday, Sept. 18, giving Davison County residents more than six weeks to cast their ballots before Election Day.
Davison County announced that absentee voting will begin at 8 a.m. Friday. The South Dakota Secretary of State lists Nov. 3 as the general election date and Oct. 19 as the voter registration deadline.
Registered voters may vote absentee in person at the Davison County Auditor’s Office, located on the first floor of the Davison County Courthouse, 200 E. Fourth Ave. in Mitchell. The auditor’s office also directs voters to the state’s Voter Information Portal to check registration information, polling locations, sample ballots and the status of absentee ballot applications.
Voters casting an absentee ballot in person should bring valid photo identification. Under South Dakota voting procedures, voters without photo identification may sign a personal identification affidavit and cast a regular ballot.
Residents who want to vote absentee by mail must submit an original, signed absentee ballot application to their county election official. Completed absentee ballots must be returned in time for election officials to deliver them to the appropriate precinct before polls close on Election Day.
The start of absentee voting marks another milestone in South Dakota’s 2026 election calendar. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time on Nov. 3.