Secretary of State
November 3, 2026 · South Dakota · Statewide · general
How do we calculate vote impact?
Vote impact = representation (how much weight one vote carries here, the smaller the district's population, the higher the representation) + decisiveness (how likely this race is to be close, based on past results and number of candidates).
Representation: High · 89 out of 100
Smaller districts give each vote more weight, and this district is small for its type. About 907,428 people live here.
score = 100 × ln(largest population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(largest ÷ smallest), rounded to 2 decimals = 100 × ln(39,287,377 ÷ 907,428) ÷ ln(39,287,377 ÷ 582,397) = 89.47, comparing all statewide districts nationwide (grades: 66+ high, 33+ average, otherwise low)
Decisiveness: Unknown
No past results for this contest yet.
High representation + unknown decisiveness → High vote impact.
Some data is missing, so this rating is based on partial information and capped at "High".
Secretary of State is responsible for:
- Running state elections and certifying the results
- Keeping official state records and documents
- Registering businesses that operate in the state
Affected Areas: Anti-Corruption, Government Efficiency, Election Integrity, Data Privacy, Civil Rights
Candidates
Heather Baxter
REP · declared
Heather Baxter is a Republican South Dakota state representative for District 34 and the Republican nominee for South Dakota Secretary of State in the 2026 general election.
Records: Election Integrity 7 for
Tamara J. Lesnar
LIB · declared
Tamara J. Lesnar is the Libertarian candidate listed by the South Dakota Secretary of State for South Dakota Secretary of State in the 2026 general election.
Terrence Davis
DEM · declared
Terrence Davis is a Democratic candidate for South Dakota Secretary of State in the 2026 general election and has been described as a former state trooper.
Election sources
Source: vip.sdsos.gov
Source: sdsos.gov