Officials urge voters to be prepared and consider voting early as turnout predictions grow

The county officials who run South Dakota’s elections want voters to study up and prepare for long wait times on Election Day, if they don’t plan to vote early.

As of Oct. 18, 62,572 South Dakotans had already voted in the 2024 general election — just over 10% of active voters. Early and absentee voting began Sept. 20.

That’s a bellwether of overall voter turnout, Secretary of State Monae Johnson said. Almost twice as many South Dakotans have cast absentee ballots this year compared to the same date prior to the 2022 election. About 59.4% of registered voters turned out for the midterm election.

Johnson estimates up to 75% voter turnout this election. The 2020 election had about 74% turnout; 2016 had about 69%.

“There’s a huge interest in the ballot we have,” Johnson said.


https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2024/10/18/south-dakota-election-2024-absentee-vote-early-prepare-wait-turnout-predictions/