State Auditor
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".
State Auditor is responsible for:
- Checking how state agencies spend public money
- Looking for waste, fraud, and mistakes in government programs
- Publishing audit reports the public can read
Affected Areas: Anti-Corruption, Government Efficiency, Government Spending Reduction, Corporate Accountability
Candidates
Catherine Barranco
REP · declared
Catherine Barranco is the Republican candidate for South Dakota State Auditor in the 2026 general election, according to the South Dakota Secretary of State candidate list.
Tom Cool
DEM · declared
Tom Cool is the Democratic candidate for South Dakota State Auditor in the 2026 general election and was also the Democratic candidate for the office in 2018.
Election sources
Source: vip.sdsos.gov
Source: sdsos.gov