Ballots for Primary Election Finally Arrive in Grant County

Grant County Auditor Kathy Folk confirmed as of Friday afternoon, April 24, that ballots for the 2026 South Dakota Primary Election have been delivered to the Grant County Courthouse. Absentee-early voting will begin on Monday, April 27.

County auditors across South Dakota had anxiously been awaiting the arrival of the ballots after Election Systems and Software (ES&S), the company in Nebraska that prints South Dakota’s ballots, could not complete the order on time. Part of the problem was the state’s schedule: On January 1, candidates could begin circulating petitions to get their name on the ballot  The filing deadline was March 31. That allowed 90 days for candidates to gather signatures and complete their petitions. However, it put the pinch on auditors and other county officials who were required to validate or challenge the petitions and then create, proof, print, receive, and finalize the ballots before the early voting was to begin on April 17.

County auditors across the state’s 66 counties had anticipated the time crunch earlier this year and suggested shortening the filing period. Lawmakers fired back that it was too late. They rebuffed the request by citing their own concerns about the legal aspects of changing the date after the filing process had started. Everything proceeded as planned… until it didn’t. County auditors had to begin turning away voters on April 17. 

Legislators have offered a  remedy to ensure the problem will not be ongoing. House Bill 1095 was passed by South Dakota legislators in February and it will become law July 1. Its goal is to clarify the timeline for candidate deadlines in the 2028 Primary Election and beyond. It permanently moves the filing deadline to the third Tuesday in March. That date will fall on March 21 in 2028. It will essentially add 10 days to the preparation time allotted to county auditors after the candidates’ deadline and the day the ballots need to be ready for early voting.

Voters still have until June 1 at 5 p.m. to vote early in person. Mailed ballots must be received by the auditor (not postmarked, but received) prior to the close of the polls on the 2026 Primary Election Day on June 2.

Just under 5,000 residents are registered to vote in Grant County. Folk says, “Typically eight percent of voters in Grant County choose to vote early.”

The deadline to register to vote in South Dakota’s 2026 Primary Election is May 18. South Dakota law does not allow voter registration via email. Print the voter registration form —available online. Fill-out the form, sign it, and submit it to the county auditor. Your voter registration form with an original signature must be received by the auditor 15 days before any election.

You can also register to vote at these locations:

• Your county auditor’s office (At the Grant County Courthouse in Milbank and the Roberts County Courthouse in Sisseton.)
• Driver’s license station (when you are renewing or applying for a driver’s license you can also register to vote on the driver’s license application
• City Finance Office
• Public assistance agencies providing food stamps, TANF, or WIC
• Department of Human Services offices which provide assistance to the disabled
• Military recruitment offices

Request an absentee ballot: (1) Call your county auditor’s office or (2) make your request online. The South Dakota Absentee Ballot Application Form can be accessed through this linked page.