South Dakota
Counties fending off a storm of election-related lawsuits • South Dakota Searchlight
Some county officials in South Dakota are still dealing with a flurry of election-related litigation that began last spring, despite several losses by plaintiffs claiming violations of election laws and after a judge labeled one lawsuit’s claims “not fully developed” and “illogical.”
At least a dozen county auditors have received petitions from local residents this year seeking to ban election technology such as electronic tabulators, and also seeking to require hand-counting in future elections. Three counties — Gregory, Haakon and Tripp — accepted petitions this summer and put them on the June primary ballot, where voters rejected all three measures.
The petitioners in South Dakota include people who believe former President Donald Trump’s false claims — thrown out by dozens of courts — that President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory over Trump was fraudulent (in South Dakota, Trump won with 62% of the vote in 2020). The South Dakota lawsuits are playing out amid a broader atmosphere of harassment against county officials, which recently took the form of activists accusing Minnehaha County commissioners of “treason” for upholding laws that allow people such as full-time traveling RVers to register and vote in South Dakota.
Lawrence County has been an epicenter for lawsuits in South Dakota, although most have been dismissed. The lawsuits began after the county commission rejected petitions seeking to ban various forms of election technology and require hand-counting. The commission cited reasons for the rejection including state and federal laws that require electronic voting systems for people with disabilities.
A legal challenge to the commission’s rejection of those petitions remains active, as does one of five legal actions claiming the results from the June primary are invalid because of allegedly improper uses of tabulating machines. Another open case in Charles Mix County challenges a similarly rejected petition on hand counting.
In those two counties alone, eight legal actions have been filed under the banner of “election integrity” since last spring.
What are the arguments?
Nichole Braithwait, who introduced and circulated the Lawrence County hand-counting petition, argues that county commissioners do not have the authority to reject a properly filed petition with enough signatures to support a public vote. The authority to determine a petition’s legality lies with the courts and not commissioners, her lawsuit says.
Braithwait is associated with South Dakota Canvassing, the group that helped coordinate the statewide petition effort seeking to require hand-counting at the county level.
“I am convinced that we are on the right side of this issue and eventually the people will realize that our elections are run by corporations where the people have no oversight,” Braithwait said in an emailed statement, adding that “our elections are selections.”
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South Dakota’s elections are run by elected county auditors, and statewide results are reported by the Secretary of State’s Office. Government officials do contract with companies to provide electronic tabulating machines. Post-election audits after the June primary matched the machine tallies in most counties, with minimal discrepancies in some counties that did not change results.
Braithwait and some other South Dakotans who suffered rejected hand-counting petitions have been unable to find lawyers to represent them.
Braithwait’s lawsuits have cost her over $1,000 in printing costs alone, she said. She has taken time off work and away from her family to prepare and attend court.
Lawyer for counties calls lawsuits ‘frivolous’
Rapid City lawyer Sara Frankenstein specializes in election law and represents many South Dakota counties in election-related lawsuits, including some of Lawrence County’s.
The petitioners’ struggle to retain a lawyer, Frankenstein said, reflects poorly on the claims in the lawsuits. Attorneys generally avoid cases with little to no chance of success, she said.
Frankenstein described the lawsuits as “frivolous” actions that cost counties money for elected officials “just doing what they swore an oath to do,” which is conduct elections according to local, state and federal laws.
18-point loser won’t drop claims
Lawrence County elected officials have also faced six legal actions from Kate Crowley-Johnson, who ran unsuccessfully for state Senate as a Republican in the June primary. Four have been dismissed, one against the Lawrence County auditor and board of commissioners is pending, and an appeal was filed in another case in September.
Crowley-Johnson lost by 18 percentage points to incumbent Sen. Randy Deibert, R-Spearfish. She’s filed actions against Deibert, Lawrence County commissioners and the auditor challenging the use of automatic tabulating machines to count ballots.
In one case, Crowley-Johnson sued Deibert, requested a hand recount and called for a new election, alleging the county’s election equipment had not been properly tested. The judge dismissed her claims, citing a lack of evidence of voting irregularities.
“Many of the claims are not fully developed,” Judge Jeffrey Connolly wrote. “Many are illogical.”
Crowley-Johnson denied an interview request for this story but alleged in text messages to South Dakota Searchlight that “the court system broke its own laws.” She also used profanity in the text messages and accused South Dakota Searchlight of writing “propaganda.”
Deibert said the cases have caused unnecessary public costs.
“It is taxpayer dollars paying for our court system. People should understand that,” Deibert said. “We’re talking property tax dollars. These frivolous lawsuits are part of the problem.”
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PIERRE, S.D. — A governor-appointed board unanimously approved higher prices and a higher income limit Monday for an affordable housing program.
The South Dakota
Governor’s House
program sells two- and three-bedroom homes built by inmates at Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield that are shipped across the state to eligible buyers.
The program also offers daycare models, which can be owned by daycare providers or nonprofit organizations. For buyers in rural areas with less than 5,000 people, the authority provides
DakotaPlex
units intended to be used as duplexes, triplexes or quadriplexes.
Buyers are responsible for buying a building permit, finding a lot, laying the foundation and flooring, and hooking up utilities and appliances.
This year’s change is the “smallest price increase we’ve had in many, many years,” according to Mike Harsma, who heads the Governor’s House program for South Dakota Housing.
On July 1, the start of the new fiscal year, the homes will be priced as follows:
- Two bedroom: $89,000, up from $86,000, or a 3.49% increase.
- Three bedroom: $99,000, up from $96,000, or a 3.13% increase.
- Dakotaplex two bedroom: $99,000, up from $97,000, or a 2.06% increase.
- Dakotaplex three bedroom: $109,000, up from $106,000, or a 2.83% increase.
- Daycare: $99,000, up from $96,000, or a 3.13% increase.
Last year
, units increased at least 6%. The rise in prices this year is due mostly to increased fuel costs, according to Chas Olson, executive director of the South Dakota Housing Development Authority. The cost of delivery for a home is included in the total price of a Governor’s House.
Photo courtesy of South Dakota Housing Development Authority
“Whether we’re moving a Governor’s House from Springfield to Sioux Falls or we’re moving it across the state to Buffalo, South Dakota, we get the same amount for that moving fee,” Olson said. “The cost of fuel, where it is now and kind of the uncertainty around that, we had to build in a little bit of a cushion just to be sure that we weren’t taking too big a loss on the fuel.”
Buyers of Governor’s Houses must meet income requirements. The board approved a higher income limit, now at 100% of the state’s median income, regardless of household size.
Families that make up to $103,400 now qualify for the program. In previous years, buyers in one- to two-person households could qualify if they made $72,380 or less and households of three or more people could qualify if they made $82,720 or less.
“It’s hard to get people qualified at those income levels,” Olson said. It had been about 14 years since that limit was adjusted, he said, “and with the cost of everything now, I mean, it was just time.”
Mortgage assistance program
Board members also approved a program that’s modeled after a
piece of legislation
that failed earlier this year in the Legislature. It’s a mortgage assistance program for qualifying buyers of manufactured homes.
The authority also provides
down payment assistance
for traditional homes. Down payments for manufactured homes are often higher than a typical mortgage down payment, according to Amy Eldridge, of the authority.
A
manufactured home
is a mobile home that’s built on a permanent framework. The homes must have all required utilities, including plumbing and climate control.
Eligible buyers can apply for a low-interest loan of up to 50% of their mortgage down payment from the assistance program, with total assistance not exceeding $10,000. The income limit for the program is $124,080.
Olson hopes to see the program available to interested buyers within the next month.
“We just need more homes at lower price points,” he said, “and we need ways to get that done.”
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 20, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 20 drawing
16-20-44-48-50, Powerball: 15, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from June 20 drawing
08-14-31-41-52, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 03
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Dakota Cash numbers from June 20 drawing
02-09-15-27-34
Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 20 drawing
01-10-16-30-31, Bonus: 04
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.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — You can celebrate Juneteenth in central Sioux Falls Saturday. The festivities start at 10 a.m. in Fawick Park with a Freedom Walk. Activities also include a Spoken Word, Car show demonstration, community games, a fashion, art and beauty expo, a talent show and a DJ battle.
Also in central Sioux Falls is the Festival of Cultures hosted by Lutheran Social Services. The American Patchwork Quartet will perform at 11 a.m. and Nepali dancers NSKK will take the stage at 12:30. It’s all happening at the Sioux Falls Coliseum. Then, the Parade of Flags will take place at 7:20 p.m. at the Levitt Lawn.
Join cancer survivor Lisa Soundy for for a Walk and Talk about cancer survivorship. Hear Lisa share her personal experience with cancer. The event starts at 9:30 a.m. at the Prairie West Library in western Soiux Falls. It is hosted by Avera McKennan Hospital.
Fly a kite at the Brookings Kite Festival. It goes from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and a lighted kite show will go from 8:30 to10 in the evening on Saturday. It takes place at the Fishback Soccer Complex and will also include food trucks and kids games.
Also, enjoy the final day of Czech Days in Tabor. The festivities include a craft fair, kiddie parade, dumpling making demonstration and a lot more. The festivities start at 7 a.m. with a 5K and run through the night.
Head to Sioux Valley Cycle Club in Sioux Falls for an ATV race. Gates open at 1 p.m., practice starts at 3:45, and racing starts at 4:45. Admission is $10, but kids 6 and under are free.
Take in Teapot Days in Tea, South Dakota. Events include a parade at 10 a.m., the Mighty Thomas Carnival beginning at noon and fireworks at 10:15 in the evening in the city park.
Take a lunch break and enjoy live music in downtown Sioux Falls. Head to the Ampt! event at the Phillips Avenue Plaza from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
You can enjoy more music downtown later in the night at Levitt at the Falls. Hear folk songs from the American Patchwork Quartet and openers Alma Latina Grupo Multicultural and the Levitt Vocal Jam Camp Showcase. The music starts at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
There’s also free music to enjoy west river throughout the afternoon and evening at Wild Bill Days on Main Street in Deadwood. Other events include a downtown art festival, gold panning and blacksmithing demonstrations from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
See if you can catch any fish at Family Park in western Sioux Falls. All the needed gear is provided, but you can bring your own gear if you would like. It goes from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and it is completely free.
There’s another fishing opportunity much further north. Head north to Roy Lake State Park for Cops and Bobbers and fish with local law enforcement. All the needed equipment and bait will be provided. It goes from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Roy Lake Store Docks and fishing pier. A park pass is required.
Help support Feeding South Dakota at the 13th annual Prime Time Gala & Concert. The event includes a silent auction, live auction, food and music from Dierks Bentley, Muscadine Bloodline and Elizabeth Jo. Guest Check-in is at 4 p.m. at the Denny Sanford Premier Center.
Catch a show at the Orpheum Theater. It’s the last weekend to see Legally Blonde presented by the Premiere Playhouse. The show starts at 7 p.m.
Experience a yarn adventure at Prairie Road Yarn in Sioux Falls. The Yarn Adventure Truck will be paying a visit from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Falls Park Farmers market in Sioux Falls is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Brandon Farmers Market is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 925 N. Splitrock Boulevard. The Brookings Farmers Market is open from 9 a.m. to noon in the 300 block of 6th Avenue.
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