South Dakota
Calendar quirk and law change have South Dakota election officials worried about deadlines
Absentee voting is available on the third floor of the Minnehaha County building in downtown Sioux Falls, South Dakota, ahead of the city and school board election on April 9, 2024. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
PIERRE, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) – Election officials in South Dakota are worried about a possible delayed start for early and absentee voting as they rush to prepare ballots for the June 2 primary, and they’re also navigating changes to registration requirements signed into law by Gov. Larry Rhoden last month.
Lincoln County Auditor Sheri Lund said South Dakota voters should check their registration status and party affiliation as soon as possible. New voters should register soon as well, in case there are processing delays because of missing documentation required by a new law.
The new law, which went into effect on March 26, requires new voters to provide documentation of their U.S. citizenship with a driver’s license or identification card issued after July 1, 2025, a tribal ID, or a legible photocopy of a birth certificate, U.S. passport, consular report of birth abroad from the U.S. Department of State, or certificate of naturalization.
“If you’re a first-time registering voter in South Dakota, do not procrastinate,” Lund said. “Do it now, and make sure it goes through the right way.”
Kayla Delfs, election coordinator with the Lincoln County Auditor’s Office, said the office had received 10 voter registration applications as of March 7 that were missing the necessary documentation to prove U.S. citizenship as required by the new law.
One person emailed proof of citizenship, but Delfs said she has not received documentation yet from the others after mailing notification of the problem to them. Those voters will be registered as federal only voters until they provide proper documentation — a new voter status signed into law in 2025. Federal only voters can vote in presidential and congressional races, not state and local races.
Pennington County Auditor Sabrina Green expects problems with missing U.S. citizenship documentation to dwindle over the next several years, as South Dakota driver’s licenses and identification cards expire and get renewed. Last July, the state began requiring newly issued cards to display the licensee’s citizenship status.
As county auditors and their staffs work to inform new voters of the changes, they’re also grappling with a quickly approaching start to early and absentee voting.
Prospective candidates from political parties had to file nominating petitions by the last Tuesday in March to make the ballot for the June 2 primary. Through a quirk of the calendar, that fell on March 31 this year, which shortened the time between the filing of those petitions and the printing of ballots for early and absentee voting.
Lawmakers this year reacted to complaints about that by changing the nominating petition deadline to the third Tuesday in March. But they were concerned about changing the deadline for a petition process that was already underway, so they made the change effective for future elections, not the current one.
Early and absentee voting for the primary election begins on April 17. On Tuesday, the Secretary of State’s Office drew the order in which candidates will appear on ballots, giving county auditors eight business days to prepare, proofread and order ballots.
Green said her office will alert county residents if early voting is delayed, adding that she is “nervous” about the approaching deadline.
“I would rather our ballots are done correctly, proofed and without errors instead of rushing to meet the deadline,” Green said.
Early and absentee voting is required by state statute to begin “no later” than 46 days before the election, and ballots must be printed 48 days before. Auditors considered allowing voters to use sample ballots, like they’re allowed to on Election Day if a polling place runs out of ballots, but auditors decided against it, Delfs said.
“We’ve got our hands tied,” Delfs said. “What law do we break here?”
Lund said it’ll be a “hard push” to ensure early voting starts on time, but she is hopeful it will. The Secretary of State’s Office is allowing auditors to order early and absentee ballots separately from their Election Day ballots, which will speed up the process because there will be fewer ballots to print and ship so soon.
“I have my fingers crossed,” Lund said.
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 9, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 9 drawing
15-41-46-47-56, Powerball: 22, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from May 9 drawing
08-12-13-27-42, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 04
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Dakota Cash numbers from May 9 drawing
01-02-04-08-18
Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 9 drawing
08-11-17-29-49, Bonus: 02
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
- Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
- Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.
When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – A Rapid City church is hosting a free community event Thursday to raise awareness about human trafficking, with organizers saying the danger may be closer than people think.
The Lutheran Women’s Missionary League at Bethlehem Lutheran Church is opening the presentation to the entire community because organizers say awareness alone can save a life.
“If we can get 20 people to understand what to look for — if we can get 20 people to understand that this organization exists — then we can start shining light into every corner, and suddenly it’ll be a better world,” said Alexandra Loverink, co-president of LWML Bethlehem Lutheran Church.
Event details
The free presentation is Thursday, May 14 at 6 p.m. at Bethlehem Lutheran Church on Rushmore Street. The speaker is Reverend Tess Franzen, founder of Freedom’s Journey, a Rapid City-based ministry that has assisted hundreds of trafficking survivors over more than a decade.
Franzen said the problem in South Dakota is far more widespread than most people realize.
“We see mostly sex trafficking, but much of what we see is — some people might call it homegrown or familial,” Franzen said. “We see trafficking here where young people are being trafficked out, their family members are selling access to them when they’re children. And in many cases, they don’t really even realize there’s anything wrong with it.”
Organizer Cari Garwood-Beard said Franzen’s presentation changed how she sees her own neighborhood, and she wants others to have that same wake-up call.
“She told a story about her neighbor one time — just a good old guy — and found out that he was a trafficker. Her neighbor, who she thought was above boards,” Garwood-Beard said. “And it really hit home. My next-door neighbor could be.”
A freewill offering will be collected for Freedom’s Journey at Thursday’s event. Bethlehem Lutheran Church is at 1630 Rushmore Street.
Resources
If you suspect trafficking, dial 9-1-1 or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
For more information about Freedom’s Journey, visit their website or call 805.380.8009.
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Copyright 2026 KOTA. All rights reserved.
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 8, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from May 8 drawing
37-47-49-51-58, Mega Ball: 16
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 8 drawing
14-16-21-43-51, Bonus: 03
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
- Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
- Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.
When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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