To be eligible to vote you must be:

• A U.S. citizen
• A resident in South Dakota (To be a resident means the place in which you have a fixed habitation and whenever you are absent intend to return to)
• At least 18 years old on or before the election
• Not currently serving a sentence for a felony conviction which included imprisonment, served or suspended, in an adult penitentiary system
• Not judged mentally incompetent by a court of law

Incarcerated Voters & Returning Citizens: 

In South Dakota, you lose your right to vote if you are convicted of a felony. Your right to vote is automatically restored once you complete your full sentence, including any relevant term of incarceration, probation, parole, and payment of fines and fees. Pretrial detention and misdemeanors do not restrict your voting rights in South Dakota.  

Voters without traditional residence: 

If you live in a rural area and do not have a street address; if your residence address is a PO Box, rural box, or general delivery; or if you have no address, please describe the physical location of your residence in writing in line 4a of your voter registration form, which may include writing the names of the streets or intersections nearest to where you live and listing any landmarks (e.g., schools, churches, stores) near where you live. If you do not receive mail at your residential address, the mailing address on their registration form can be a P.O. box, local shelter, advocacy organization, outreach center, or the home of someone who will accept mail for you.