Dakota
Voter
Explanation of Scores
Scoring Details
Incumbent or returning Legislators were scored on their voting record when possible.
New legislative candidates were scored on their answers to a survey.
Candidates for US Senate, US House, Governor, Mayor, City Council & School Board were invited to submit answers to a survey.
Incumbent Legislator Scoring
Sanctity of Life
Incumbent/returning Legislators were scored based on their most recent score with regard to pro-life bills.
75% or higher: “Strong voting record”
51-74%: “Mixed/moderate voting record”
50% or lower: “Weak voting record”
Examples: HB1274 (2026), HB1313 (2026), HB1257 (2026), HB1182 (2026), HB1044 (2025).
Education
Incumbent/returning Legislators were scored based on their votes on recent bills relating to education options.
75% or higher: Strong voting record
51-74%: Mixed voting record
50% or less: Weak voting record
Examples: SB84 (2026), HB1020 (2025), HB1250 (2024), SB72 (2024), SB71 (2022), SB177 (2021), HB1204 (2020), SB159 (2016).
Parental Rights
Incumbent/returning Legislators were scored based on their votes on recent bills relating to parental rights.
75% or higher: Strong voting record
51-74%: Mixed voting record
50% or less: Weak voting record
Examples: SB190 (2026), HB1061 (2025), SB113 (2025), HB1246 (2022)
Marijuana
Incumbent/returning Legislators were scored on their votes relating to reasonable marijuana regulations. Scores were taken from the following sources:
(links to the scorecards located at the bottom of the page)
2025-26 Protecting SD Kids Scores:
75% or higher: Strong voting record
51-74%: Mixed voting record
50% or less: Weak voting record
2023-24 Protecting SD Kids Scores:
75% or higher: Strong voting record
51-74%: Mixed voting record
50% or less: Weak voting record
2022 Legislature Cannabis Scorecard:
30 points of more: A record of support for marijuana expansion
1-29 points: A mixed record on marijuana expansion
Negative points: A strong record of voting against marijuana expansion
Gambling
Incumbent/returning Legislators were scored on their votes relating to gambling expansion.
75% or higher: Strong voting record
51-74%: Mixed voting record
50% or less: Weak voting record
Examples: SJR504 (2026), SB226 (2026), SB205 (2025), SB206 (2025), SB117 (2023), HJR5006 (2023)
Lifetime CPAC Score
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) publishes a scorecard to highlight which legislators voted in accordance with CPAC’s interpretation of conservative principles.
Lifetime Pro-Family Score
Each year, SD Family Voice Action publishes a scorecard to highlight which legislators stood strong for family values, and which ones did not. The “lifetime score” used in the voter guide is the average score over all the years the legislator served (between 2015 and 2026).
New Candidate Scoring
Legislative candidates running for office without a voting record were sent a Voter Guide Questionnaire and were asked the following questions:
Sanctity of Life
If you are elected, how would you vote on bills that protect unborn children?
Examples:
HB1318 (2021) – Prohibit the dispensing of abortion pills via telemedicine.
HB1248 (2021) – Require the reporting of any embryo’s that are destroyed or discarded.
HB1274 (2026) – Prohibit the advertising or dispensing of abortion pills
Education Options
If you are elected, how would you vote on bills that expand the education options available to a student?
Examples:
SB177 (2021) – Removing burdensome regulations on homeschool families.
SB72 (2024) – Increase the donations allowed to the Partners in Education Scholarship Fund.
HB1020 (2025) – Implement a school-choice funding system where education funding follows the student
Parental Rights
If you are elected, how would you vote on bills that protect the rights of a parent to direct the upbringing of their child?
Examples:
SB113 (2025) – Parental rights defined as fundamental, strict scrutiny applied
SB190 (2026) – Parental bill of rights, strict scrutiny applied
Marijuana
If you are elected, how would you vote on bills that regulate medical marijuana?
Examples:
SB82 (2024) – Requiring a bona-fide patient/practitioner relationship before issuing a medical marijuana card
HB1004 (2022) – Prohibit cardholder cultivation of medical marijuana
Gambling Expansion
If you are elected, how would you vote on measures that expand gambling in South Dakota?
Examples:
SB205 (2025) – Increase the video lottery machine limit
SB206 (2025) – Increase the video lottery bet limit
SJR504 (2026) – Mobile sports betting
Below each question was the option to check “support” or “oppose.”
The red or green symbol in the summary for each district and the color of their answer were determined based on which box was checked. If no box was checked, no color was assigned.
Candidates were also invited to submit a comment of 25 words or less to be included in the voter guide. Comments exceeding the word limit were cut short after 25 words.
Contacting the Candidates
Uniform effort was made to contact the candidates. Each candidate was sent a questionnaire via mail. In addition, candidates with an available email address were sent a reminder email. Candidate answers received after the initial deadline were added in a timely manner, but were not included in the initial publishing.
Written Answers
Written answers from candidates were taken as-is, and were only edited to:
- Remove the additional text if the answer was longer than the stated limit
- Correct minor spelling errors
Written answers that were determined to be outside the scope of the questions were returned to the candidates with a request to re-submit. Examples include:
- Engaging in personal attacks or making specific allegations
- Inappropriate or unprofessional language
DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE GUIDES
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District 33
District 34
District 35
Governor
US House
US Senate
Diving Deeper
The following scorecards are provided for those who wish to continue researching the voting records
of the incumbent legislators and previously-elected candidates.
2022 Legislature Cannabis Scorecard