South Dakota Electoral College Guide
South Dakota casts 3 electoral votes in presidential elections. South Dakota's 3 EV are safely Republican. Not competitive.
Role in the Electoral College
South Dakota's 3 EV are safely Republican. Not competitive.
Electoral Vote History
Last Democratic presidential win was LBJ 1964. Safely R since Nixon in 1968.
Electoral College Basics
The United States uses an Electoral College system to elect the president. Each state receives electoral votes equal to its total congressional representation: number of House seats + 2 (senators). South Dakota has 1 House seat + 2 senators = 3 electoral votes.
A candidate needs 270 out of 538 electoral votes to win the presidency. South Dakota’s 3 electoral votes represent 0.6% of the total needed.
Most states use a winner-take-all system — the popular vote winner receives all electoral votes. The exception is Maine and Nebraska, which allocate electoral votes by congressional district. South Dakota uses the winner-take-all system.