SIOUX FALLS, S.D.–Low voter turnout predictions for South Dakota were on target. According to the South Dakota Secretary of State’s office, the weather could have been a factor in the low turnout in some parts of the state where a number of areas experienced thunderstorms.
South Dakota is split almost in half by the state’s eastern side operating under Central Standard Time and the western side operating under Mountain Time. In the 2020 primary election, there were almost 547,000 voters registered with only 154,000 ballots cast, resulting in a low 28.22 percent voter turnout.
In Sioux Falls, most of the people who came out to vote were Republican, which makes up most of the state’s voting bloc. Of the nearly 583,000 registered voters, there are approximately 286,000 Republicans, 151,000 Democrats, 2,700 Libertarians, and 141,000 with no party affiliation or independent voters.
Sioux Falls resident David Bahr and his wife, JoAnn, came to the Peace Lutheran Church in Minnehaha County on June 7 to cast their ballot under sunny skies. Both are registered Republicans and said they were casting their votes for current Gov. Kristi Noem and U.S. Sen. John Thune. However, in the U.S. Congressional race, they voted for state representative Taffy Howard because they were dissatisfied with the voting record of incumbent Congressman Dusty Johnson.
