Where Do I Vote in Pennington or Meade County, SD?

The South Dakota Electorate and Polling Stations

Relevant to the U.S. general election this week, South Dakota statehood was sought because the prior Territories' residents were not allowed to vote on their representatives.  

In 1870 there were only 11,776 South Dakotans.  (Not sure how the Census Bureau knows that, since SD didn't even exist then.  And I suspect the Native Americans were excluded, too.)  Then it jumped 300%(!) to 348,600 by the time we gained statehood in 1889.  Why the 300% jump in 20 years?  Four words:  "Custer","gold",  and "broken treaty."  There are now 824,082 of us for the entire state.

Seems the governor back then tried to move the Dakota Territory capitol to Bismark, thereby triggering a backlash that yielded the state of "South" Dakota.  What a shame.  Based on topography, climate and economics, I think we should have been East Dakota and West Dakota.  (And take this, North Dakota...you are today the least visited state in our entire union!)

The SD Secretary of State reports we have only 528,635 registered voters (243k registered Republicans and 190k registered democrats, 1100 Libertarians,...).

If you did not register to vote by October 22 you will be ineligible for the general election.

When Can We Vote?

Absentee ballots must be turned in by 3pm on November 6.  Polls are open 7:00AM to 7:00PM November 6 (in your time zone).  The U.S. general election is always the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.  That yields earliest of November 2, or November 8 at latest.

Be sure to bring an ID to the polling site.  You must have one of these:

• Driver License
• Passport
• Tribal ID
• School ID with picture.

Where to Vote?

We have several hundred voting precincts statewide, with 50 places to vote in Pennington County, 37 polling stations in Meade County, and 10 in Custer County.  One way to find where to vote is to enter your name and birth date on the SD Secretary of State's website.  It will give you an exact address.  Alternatively, Google can help you find one of many web sites that claim to list all the polling sites (but please confirm with a reliable agency first).

Here's Who You Should Vote For!

Just kidding...go vote for somebody!  And here is a summary of the 2012 Ballot Questions for South Dakota as provided by the SD Secretary of State.  And just in case you want to study for the test, here is a copy of the Pennington County Ballot you will be asked to fill in.

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