South Dakota cities and school districts hold their 2027 elections on one of two dates: Tuesday, June 8, 2027 or Tuesday, November 2, 2027. Each city council and each school board chooses its own date. For candidates, the most important date is the petition deadline, 5 p.m. local time on the third Tuesday of March or August. That is Tuesday, March 16, 2027 for a June election and Tuesday, August 17, 2027 for a November election.
Every 2027 date on this page is computed from the South Dakota statutes and marked "based on state law." A 2025 law (SL 2025, ch 40, effective January 1, 2026) moved city and school elections off the old April date, and a 2026 law (SL 2026, ch 35) changed the petition deadlines. The Secretary of State has not yet posted a 2027 city and school calendar, and its 2026 how-to guides and calendar show older dates. Confirm each date below with your city finance officer or your school district business manager before you rely on it.
For the full process of getting on the ballot, start with our guide to running for city council or school board in South Dakota.
First, find out which date applies to you
Cities. Each city's governing body chooses the June or November date by Thursday, January 14, 2027. A city may also adopt an ordinance to hold its regular election only in even-numbered years, in which case it may have no regular election in 2027. If your city has a home rule charter, ask whether the charter changes any of these dates.
School districts. Each school board chooses the June or November date by resolution no later than its first regular meeting after Friday, January 1, 2027.
Combined elections. In odd-numbered years, a city and a school district may agree to hold their elections together, on either date.
Once you know your date, use the matching section below.
If you plan to text: Sunday, November 15, 2026
Campaign Verify, the check that political campaigns need before they text voters, runs on two-year cycles. Requests made before November 15, 2026 expire January 31, 2027, before either 2027 election. Requests made on or after November 15, 2026 last until January 31, 2029. If you plan to text, make your request on or after this date. The texting section at the end of this page explains the rest.
The June 8, 2027 election
Tuesday, December 15 to Wednesday, December 30, 2026 (based on state law). The city finance officer publishes a notice of the open seats and where petitions may be filed, once a week for two weeks in the city's official newspaper. The Secretary of State notes that this notice may be published before the election date is officially set in January.
Friday, January 1, 2027 (based on state law). The earliest date anyone may sign a nominating petition for a 2027 election. School board petitions for a June election may begin circulating.
Tuesday, January 12, 2027 (based on state law). In first and second class cities, the signature requirement is 5 percent of registered voters or 50, whichever is less. The 5 percent uses the number of registered voters the county auditor recorded on this date, the second Tuesday of the month five months before the election.
Thursday, January 14, 2027 (based on state law). The deadline for each city's governing body to set its election date. School boards decide at their first regular meeting after January 1.
On or about Monday, February 8, 2027 (based on state law). City petitions may begin circulating. A city petition may not be circulated more than four months before the election.
Tuesday, March 16, 2027, 5 p.m. (based on state law). Petition deadline for city and school board candidates. City candidates file with the municipal finance officer. School board candidates file with the school district business manager. The Secretary of State says registered mail sent before 5 p.m. on the deadline counts as on time, and certified mail does not.
Thursday, March 18, 2027, 5 p.m. (based on state law). The last time a city candidate can withdraw and keep their name off the ballot, by a written request under oath filed with the finance officer. School board candidates should ask their business manager about withdrawal.
Within 15 days after you file. Candidates for council member, commissioner or mayor in a first class city, and school board candidates in a district with more than 2,000 students, file a statement of financial interest with the office where they filed their petition. If you file on the deadline, that is by Wednesday, March 31, 2027, based on state law. This is a personal disclosure form, not a campaign report.
Monday, May 24, 2027, 5 p.m. (based on state law). Voter registration closes, 15 days before the election. State law also requires absentee ballots to be available no later than this date. Absentee voting may open earlier, so ask your finance officer or business manager when it begins.
Tuesday, June 8, 2027. Election Day. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Tuesday, June 29, 2027 (based on state law). A runoff, only in cities that adopted a runoff ordinance at least six months before the election, and only in a race of three or more candidates where no one received a majority. The top two candidates are on the runoff ballot.
The November 2, 2027 election
Saturday, May 15 to Sunday, May 30, 2027 (based on state law). The city finance officer publishes the notice of open seats, once a week for two weeks.
Tuesday, June 1, 2027 (based on state law). School board petitions for a November election may begin circulating.
Tuesday, June 8, 2027 (based on state law). The county auditor's count of registered voters for the 5 percent rule in first and second class cities is taken on this date.
On or about Friday, July 2, 2027 (based on state law). City petitions may begin circulating, four months before the election.
Tuesday, August 17, 2027, 5 p.m. (based on state law). Petition deadline for city and school board candidates, filed with the finance officer or the business manager. Registered mail sent before 5 p.m. counts as on time, and certified mail does not.
Thursday, August 19, 2027, 5 p.m. (based on state law). The last time a city candidate can withdraw and keep their name off the ballot.
Within 15 days after you file. The statement of financial interest, where it applies. If you file on the deadline, that is by Wednesday, September 1, 2027, based on state law.
Monday, October 18, 2027, 5 p.m. (based on state law). Voter registration closes. Absentee ballots must be available no later than this date, and absentee voting may open earlier.
Tuesday, November 2, 2027. Election Day. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Tuesday, November 23, 2027 (based on state law). A runoff, only in cities with a runoff ordinance, under the same rules as above.
If no one files against you
If the number of candidates who file for each open seat does not exceed the number of seats, and no other question is on the ballot, no election is held, and the unopposed candidates receive certificates of election. This is true for a city, a ward and a school district. You will know shortly after the petition deadline whether your race is contested. If other contests or questions remain on the ballot, ask your filing officer how your race will appear.
Why the Secretary of State's 2026 guides show different dates
The Secretary of State's 2026 city and school calendar and its how-to guides were written for the 2026 elections, and some of their dates reflect rules that have since changed. For example, the 2026 calendar shows a March 24, 2026 petition deadline and a February 2 starting date for circulating school petitions. The petition deadline is now the third Tuesday of March or August, and school petitions for a June election may circulate from January 1.
Use the 2026 guides to understand the steps, such as how to circulate and how to file. Do not copy their dates into your 2027 plan. When the Secretary of State posts a 2027 calendar, check it against this page, and ask your filing officer about any difference. Our walkthrough of South Dakota nominating petitions for city and school board covers the steps in detail.
Set up texting before absentee ballots go out
The weeks before voter registration closes and absentee ballots go out are the time to remind supporters of the dates. Set up your texting well before then.
- Check your committee filing first. Campaign Verify is available to a committee registered with an election authority. It costs $95 per two-year cycle and needs an EIN (the committee's federal tax ID number) and a filing published online by an election authority. Candidates with no committee, and sole proprietors, are not eligible. Before you request it, check that your local committee filing can be viewed online. If it cannot, ask Campaign Verify Support how to proceed. Campaign Verify decides eligibility.
- Open your CampaignCNX+ account. CampaignCNX+ files your carrier registration with the carriers (the mobile phone companies), on 10DLC or toll-free. You buy the $95 token from Campaign Verify, and CampaignCNX+ files it with the registration. 100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month.
- Schedule your reminders to opted-in supporters. Write texts for the registration deadline, the start of absentee voting and Election Day, and schedule them to the group of people who agreed in writing to hear from you. A petition signature is not that agreement. Texts send only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the recipient's time zone, and STOP replies are handled automatically.
Our guide to texting voters in a South Dakota local race covers consent, Campaign Verify and sample messages. For other states in the region, see our Midwest texting page.
Put your dates on the calendar now
Find out this winter whether your city and school district chose June or November, mark the circulation start and the petition deadline, and confirm each date with your finance officer or business manager. Then set up your texting before the busy weeks arrive. Start a trial once your committee filing is in place.
