Absentee Voting Nears Sioux Falls Record

SIOUX FALLS, SD - Two weeks from Tuesday, Sioux Falls voters will make a $115 million decision. That's the day of the special election that will give the go-ahead for or put the brakes on plans to build an events center in the city.

Voter registration is now closed for the upcoming special election that will decide the fate of a proposed events center. Counting voters in Lincoln and Minnehaha Counties, Sioux Falls had a total of about 96,000 voters in the past.  

In recent weeks, more people have been registering for the upcoming election. Although there was a steady stream of registrations, there was no last-minute rush on Monday as the deadline to register approached.

However, there has been a rush to fill out an absentee ballot. As of the end of the day Monday, 2,800 absentee ballots had been marked and placed in the ballot box. That's just 100 votes short of the record number of absentee votes for a city election, which is 2,900. Interim City Clerk Sue Roust says the current rate will likely break the standing record and is an indication that voter turnout will likely be strong on Election Day.

Absentee voting is open until 3 p.m. on Election Day, November 8. You can also cast an absentee ballot on Saturday, November 5, from 8 a.m. until noon.

The final tally of registered voters for this election will be available later this week. The auditors’ offices of Minnehaha and Lincoln Counties must wait a couple of days to allow for registration forms that were mailed and postmarked before the deadline to be delivered.