A new South Dakota law about municipal election dates is adding to an already-heavy ballot for many voters this June.
Hotly contested primaries for governor and other statehouse and federal seats in South Dakota have largely been the focus of the ballot that Republican voters will see on election day, June 2. At the local level, elections also have crowded tickets for primary races. That includes positions like county commissioners, auditor, sheriff and the register of deeds.
And even Independents and Democrats across the state, who will in many places not be voting for primary candidates, will want to head to the polls next month to elect positions like city council, mayor and school board members.
The packed races reflect an election year with high political involvement across the state, especially in the Republican Party.
Julia Hellwege, associate professor of political science and current director of the Chiesman Center for Democracy at the University of South Dakota, told News Watch that years with prominent elections, like gubernatorial or national races, often fuel more competition at the local level.
"Anytime there's that larger level of salience, meaning how important something is – as much as people want to say, 'I don't like national politics,' there's attention being paid, whether that's by the people or the media," Hellwege said. "So there's attention being spent, and that breeds competition and competition breeds (voter) engagement."
New municipal election date law aims to boost voter engagement, with extra work for auditors
Some cities and towns will also see municipal elections this June as a new election law comes into effect.
HB 1130 requires municipalities to hold elections either on statewide primary election day in June or general election day in November. Legislators approved the measure in 2025, and it officially took effect Jan. 1, making this the first election year to see the new date requirements.
Alexander Rifaat
South Dakota Searchlight reported that auditors across the state, who are responsible for election administration, are enduring arduous ballot creation processes, partially because of the increased number of races on primary day due to HB 1130. Minnehaha County auditor Leah Anderson said her office will print 324 different ballot styles for the June election.
A survey from the South Dakota Municipal League indicated that around 61% of cities are holding their elections in June, rather than in November.
The bill, which was introduced by former Rep. Will Mortenson, a Republican from Fort Pierre, is intended to increase voter engagement in municipal elections.
“Whenever there’s a conflict of administrative ease and voter convenience, I try to put the voter first,” Mortenson told Searchlight.
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Sioux Falls, the state's largest city, will hold its election on June 2. Previously, the city's municipal elections were held in April. Voters will be choosing a new mayor, city council members and school board members.
Hellwege said it is important that voters understand even though municipal elections occur on the same day as primaries, they are open to all voters – not just those registered with a specific party.
"If we talk about this as the gubernatorial primary election, you're both sending a message about what the important ticket is, but you're also sending a message about who can vote," Hellwege said. "If you are not a Republican, even if you are allowed to vote for several of the (municipal) offices, you might not even know or realize that because you just think of it as the primary."
Here are some local races to watch.
Brown County Sheriff: Incumbent faces 3 challengers amid county commission conflicts
In Brown County, current Sheriff Dave Lunzman is being challenged by three other Republican candidates: Dan Kaiser, Linn Kamin and Rob Weinmeister. Kaiser formerly served as a District 3 representative in the state House of Representatives.
Kamin is a deputy at the Brown County Sheriff's Office, Kaiser is a sergeant at the Aberdeen Police Department and Weinmeister is the director of the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety.
The winner of the June primary will meet Democrat Anthony "Tony" Sorenson in November.
A forum hosted by the Aberdeen League of Women Voters saw more than 50 questions submitted by voters for the candidates, some of which revolved around issues like the county's purchase of a new jail building and how to remain professional when working with county commissioners.
Lunzman's tenure as sheriff has been marked by high-profile clashes with other county officials. That includes a federal lawsuit his wife filed against several county commissioners and employees claiming discrimination, which was dismissed, and a disagreement about the control of jail staffing.
Lunzman, in the forum, said that there has been "a lot of publicity" about his disagreements with county commissioners but maintained that he had done the right thing when it comes to jail staffing issues.
“When the commission tries to do something that is not legal, I have to look out for you guys … because you are actually my boss, not them,” Lunzman said of commissioners.
Fall River County Auditor: 5 vying for role in packed race left open by longtime auditor's retirement
In far southwestern South Dakota in Fall River County, the retirement of longtime Auditor Sue Ganje created an opening that five candidates look to fill.
Four Republicans will be on the ballot in June: Cindy Burns, Everett Dossey, Bobbie J. Janis and Carol Boche. Lily Heidebrink, an independent, will face the primary winner in November.
Heidebrink formerly served as director of equalization for the county, while Dossey is the current director.
Burns, Janis and Boche have also been county employees at some point in their careers – Burns and Janis in the auditor's office and Boche at the state's attorney's office.
The election is unusually contested for an auditor's race, especially in Fall River County: Ganje has served as auditor since 2005 and worked in the auditor's office since 1983. She rarely had opposition when running for re-election.
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Hellwege said that ongoing concerns about property taxes in Fall River County may be a reason that the auditor's race drew more candidates. In 2024, some residents in the county said taxes on their property had increased up to 65%. The South Dakota Department of Revenue describes the county auditor as "the watchdog of the county for property taxes."
"That has severely impacted them and has been a serious issue in Hot Springs. And so it doesn't really surprise me that auditor is one of the offices that becomes them so highly contested. Because everybody wants to do something to fix it," Hellwege said.
Oldham-Ramona-Rutland school board: After narrowly avoiding dissolution, candidates seek to lead district in new era
Four candidates are running to fill two non-partisan spots on the Oldham-Ramona-Rutland school board – one two-year term representing Oldham-Ramona and one single-year term representing Rutland. It comes as the district faced several shakeups in the past year.
A vote was held in December for a special school board election that decided the future of the Oldham-Ramona-Rutland School District. Just four votes divided those for reorganization, which would have dissolved the school district and allocated students to surrounding districts, and those against.
Oldham-Ramona-Rutland's tumultuous several months also included the appointment of a new superintendent after former superintendent Dawn Hoeke resigned in February.
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"Over the past two years, I have witnessed and been the target of hatred, control and entitlement that contradict the principles of faith and decency I hold dear. My heart aches for the division and harm caused by those who seek to dismantle this district, regardless of the impact on students and staff," Hoeke said in the school board meeting where she resigned.
Candidates Jennifer Lebahn and Ashlee Roling, who are running for the Oldham-Ramona seat, and Mitchell Maher, who is running for the Rutland seat, have not previously served on the school board. Amber Malisch is currently serving a one-year term on the board representing the Rutland community and is running for re-election.
Local elections represent local concerns but can have statewide impact
Hellwege said that heavily contested local races can indicate what voters are most concerned about in their counties.
"At the local level, when things are going well, you don't really think about it, right? Like, 'My electricity is on, my streets are working' and you don't think of those as political issues necessarily. Local elections, in particular, you tend to think of when something goes wrong. And so that's when you need to go and do something about it," Hellwege said.
"With national government, you're like, 'We can change the trajectory and let's move this direction. Let's move that direction.' At the local stage we as voters don't necessarily think about local politics in that same way."
Molly Wetsch
Election to these offices, though, can also allow for representation in statewide issues.
Hellwege said that because of statewide intergovernmental organizations like the South Dakota Municipal League, local representatives can wield power on issues that have an effect on all South Dakotans, especially when officials collaborate.
"Local officeholders do have quite a bit of political power, just to share with state legislators about what's going on in the local governments. And so the kind of person that you elect, not only their partisanship, not only their ideology, but also their process of procedures, the kind of person they are. The more these elected officials communicate with each other, they actually can exert greater lobbying power at the state Legislature," Hellwege said.
"Now, obviously Sioux Falls and Rapid City can exert greater power more directly because of their size. But even small town sheriffs, small town school boards and so on, right? They do have an impact on what happens at the state."
Other races to watch
Here are a few other local races to watch:
- The Britton-Hecla School District has three school board seats up for election, with six candidates running. Incumbents Angela Grupe and Heather Landreth are challenged by Jeff Christenson, Amy Jo Vietor, Jeanne Ahlgren and Heidi Eimers.
- Stanley, Perkins and McCook counties all have three candidates running for sheriff. In all three races, all of the candidates are Republicans and will be on the ballot in June.
- In Day County, three county commission spots are up for grabs. In all of those elections, two Republicans and one Democrat are running for each seat. That means the Republicans who win in the June 2 primary will face the Democratic candidates in November for the role. Brothers David and Paul Dulitz may square off in November for a seat – David as a Republican and Paul as a Democrat. David is looking to unseat longtime county commissioner Derek Sinner next month.
South Dakota News Watch is an independent nonprofit. Read, donate and subscribe for free at sdnewswatch.org. Contact reporter/Report for America corps member Molly Wetsch: 605-531-7382/molly.wetsch@sdnewswatch.org.
