How Did They Vote?
Most South Dakotans can’t name their legislator — let alone describe how they voted last session.
That’s not your fault. It’s by design.
This page helps you find out who represents you, what they’ve been voting for, and what it means for your wallet, your land, and your community.
This is where the talking stops and the record starts.
Find Your Legislator
Enter your address and look up how your representative voted.
Key Bills & Votes
A curated list of high-impact 2026 bills — explained in plain language.
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What It Does
Expands eligibility or funding for school meal programs to ensure more students receive free or reduced-cost lunches.Why It Matters
This is basic governance: kids learn better when they aren’t hungry. It’s a reminder that not every bill is about culture wars — some are about making sure children can focus in class. -
What It Does
HB 1281 reduces the state sales and use tax on food and food ingredients to zero percent. To offset the revenue change, it adjusts certain other tax rates and directs two percent of several existing tax streams into a newly created School Building Construction Fund, which would provide zero-interest loans to school districts for facility construction or expansion.Why It Matters
This bill combines tax relief with long-term school infrastructure policy. Eliminating the sales tax on food affects every household immediately. The new construction fund would reshape how school districts finance buildings — shifting some reliance away from local bonding toward a state-administered loan system.➡️ Read the Bill
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What It Does: Revises or repeals provisions allowing probation in cases involving contempt of custody or visitation decrees.
➡️ Read Bill
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What It Does: Allows school district boards to require certain students to receive instruction in alternative educational settings.
➡️ Read Bill
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What It Does: Updates the schedule used to determine child support payment obligations.
➡️ Read Bill
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What It Does: Allows the Public Utilities Commission to assess actual costs to data centers.
➡️ Read Bill
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What It Does: Revises property tax levies for school districts and modifies both the state aid general formula and special education funding formula.
➡️ Read Bill
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Requires posting of post-election audits, equipment testing, and canvass notices on official sites. Push for clarity in electoral systems.
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What It Does
SB 30 allows the Secretary of State, a county auditor, or any registered voter in the same county to file a formal challenge to another person’s voter eligibility. Challenges are limited to whether the voter has registered in another state, meets residency requirements, or is a U.S. citizen, and must be filed at least 90 days before an election.Why It Matters
Noncitizen voting is already illegal. This bill doesn’t create that prohibition — it expands who can initiate a challenge. By empowering any voter in the county to question another voter’s eligibility, SB 30 shifts more gatekeeping power to private individuals. Whether that strengthens election integrity or opens the door to targeted challenges depends entirely on how it’s used. -
What It Does: Permits use of confirmation letters to verify a voter’s registration.
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What It Does: Amends provisions for conducting municipal and school district elections and declares an emergency.
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What It Does: Makes appropriations for water infrastructure and environmental purposes.
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What It Does: Revises compliance requirements related to limitations on foreign ownership of agricultural land.
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What It Does: Restricts ownership of real property interests by certain prohibited entities and provides enforcement mechanisms.
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What It Does: Updates the permit application process for proposed energy and transmission facilities.
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What It Does: Authorizes utilities to establish wildfire mitigation plans and modifies liability provisions for wildfire damages.
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What It Does: Creates a task force to study the creation of Indian Medicaid managed care entities in South Dakota.
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What It Does: Creates a task force to study the creation of Indian Medicaid managed care entities in South Dakota.
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What It Does: Provides a property tax credit for payment of nonpublic school tuition.
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What It Does: Protects persons from discrimination by financial institutions.
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What It Does: Revises provisions related to submission of nominating petitions.
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Status: Active
What It Does
SB 175 requires anyone registering to vote to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. Acceptable documentation includes a qualifying driver’s license issued after July 1, 2025, a passport, birth certificate, certificate of naturalization, tribal ID, or other federally recognized proof of citizenship.If a person does not provide documentation, they may only be designated as a “federal voter,” meaning they can vote only in presidential and congressional races — not in state or local elections. The bill also declares an emergency, meaning it would take effect immediately upon passage.
Why It Matters
Noncitizen voting is already illegal under South Dakota law. This bill adds a documentation requirement on top of that existing prohibition.Supporters argue it strengthens election integrity. Critics argue it shifts the burden onto eligible voters to produce paperwork — something that can disproportionately affect rural residents, elderly voters, tribal citizens, and anyone without ready access to original documents.
SB 175 doesn’t change who is eligible to vote. It changes what you must prove — and how — before you can register.