Have there been regular examples of voter fraud in SD elections?

Three people have been convicted of voter fraud in South Dakota elections since 2004, according to the Heritage Foundation, which has pushed stricter voting laws across the country to prevent fraud.

The convictions include a man who pleaded guilty to voting more than once in 2004, a Mitchell man who voted twice during a school board election and a Brookings County man who was charged after authorities said he attempted to vote twice in 2022. Two received a suspended sentence and one time served.

Several other convictions listed by the Heritage Foundation involve gathering signatures. 

South Dakota lawmakers approved a bill this session that will allow individuals and election officials to challenge voters’ citizenship.

In 2024, state officials announced 273 non-citizens had been inadvertently added to voter rolls because of human error. One of those 273 people cast a ballot during the 2016 election, the Secretary of State’s Office said.