MITCHELL, SD (Mitchell Now) — Republicans finished ahead in all nine statewide candidate contests in South Dakota’s Nov. 3 general election, according to the South Dakota Secretary of State.
For more on the governor and congressional races, read South Dakota Election Results 2026: Rhoden, Rounds and Jackley Win.
All 671 precincts were fully reported Wednesday morning. Results remain unofficial pending certification.
Who Won South Dakota’s Statewide Elections?
The complete statewide candidate vote totals are below. Bold names identify the unofficial winners. R indicates Republican, D Democrat and L Libertarian.
| Office | Unofficial Winner And Votes | Other Candidates And Votes |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Senate | Mike Rounds (R): 184,571 | Brian Bengs (Independent): 120,484 |
| U.S. House | Marty Jackley (R): 195,570 | Nikki Gronli (D): 109,967 |
| Governor/Lieutenant Governor | Larry Rhoden/Tony Venhuizen (R): 193,317 | Dan Ahlers/Steven McCleerey (D): 111,131 |
| Secretary of State | Heather Baxter (R): 172,350 | Terrence Davis (D): 106,533; Tamara Lesnar (L): 16,260 |
| Attorney General | Lance Russell (R): 193,243 | Unopposed |
| State Auditor | Catherine Barranco (R): 182,677 | Tom Cool (D): 109,365 |
| State Treasurer | Melissa Hull (R): 182,344 | Margaret Kuipers (D): 109,731 |
| School and Public Lands Commissioner | Brock Greenfield (R): 179,727 | Raeann Mettler (D): 110,996 |
| Public Utilities Commissioner | Don Haggar (R): 174,552 | Frank Kloucek (D): 115,197 |
Source: Official statewide results dashboard.
How Did South Dakota Vote On The Constitutional Amendments?
Voters approved amendments J and K and rejected amendments I and L, according to state ballot question results.
| Amendment | Proposal | Yes | No | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Repeal Medicaid expansion if federal funding falls below 90% | 131,187 | 165,391 | Rejected |
| J | Specify U.S. citizenship as a voting qualification | 183,740 | 114,909 | Approved |
| K | Establish a trust for unclaimed property | 178,554 | 114,464 | Approved |
| L | Require 60% approval to adopt constitutional amendments or revisions | 126,154 | 171,340 | Rejected |
What Was South Dakota’s 2026 Voter Turnout?
South Dakota reported 310,298 ballots cast among 628,563 registered voters, producing statewide turnout of 49.37%.
The comparison below uses turnout as a percentage of registered voters, rather than the voting-age population.
| General Election | Election Type | Ballots Cast | Registered-Voter Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026* | Midterm | 310,298 | 49.37% |
| 2024 | Presidential | 436,478 | 69.93% |
| 2022 | Midterm | 354,670 | 59.40% |
| 2020 | Presidential | 427,529 | 73.88% |
| 2018 | Midterm | 341,048 | 62.54% |
*2026 totals are unofficial. Historical figures come from the Secretary of State’s election statistics.
Compared with the last midterm election in 2022, South Dakota recorded 44,372 fewer ballots, with turnout down 10.03 percentage points. Compared with 2018, ballots declined by 30,750, and turnout fell 13.17 percentage points.
Where Are The Legislative And Local Election Results?
Readers can find every district’s candidate totals on the state legislative results page. County and local contests are available through the Secretary of State’s election dashboard.
