South Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2016
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| 2016 South Dakota House Elections | |
|---|---|
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| Primary | June 7, 2016 |
| General | November 8, 2016 |
| 2016 Election Results | |
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All 70 seats in the South Dakota House of Representatives were up for election in 2016. Republicans gained two seats in the November 2016 general election.
Introduction
Elections for the South Dakota House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 29, 2016.
Majority control
- See also: Partisan composition of state houses
Heading into the election, the Republican Party held the majority in the South Dakota House of Representatives:
| South Dakota House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 7, 2016 | After November 8, 2016 | |
| Democratic Party | 12 | 10 | |
| Republican Party | 58 | 60 | |
| Total | 70 | 70 | |
Incumbents retiring
A total of twenty-eight incumbents did not run for re-election in 2016. Those incumbents were:
Note: Incumbent Dan Dryden (R-34) died on August 30, 2016. He still appeared on the 2016 general election ballot.
2016 election competitiveness
South Dakota sees improvement in electoral competitiveness.
Ballotpedia conducts a yearly study of electoral competitiveness in state legislative elections. Details on how well South Dakota performed in the study are provided in the image below. Click here for the full 2016 Competitiveness Analysis »
- In the South Dakota State Senate, there were 8 Democratic incumbents and 27 Republican incumbents. No incumbents faced primary challengers in the Democratic Party. There were six primary challenges in the Republican primary.
- In the House, there were 12 Democratic incumbents and 58 Republican incumbents. No state representatives faced primary opposition in the Democratic Party. There were twelve primary challenges in the Republican primary.
- Overall, 18.6 percent of Democratic incumbents and 21.4 percent of GOP incumbents faced primary opposition in all of the state legislatures with elections in 2016.
- The cumulative figure for how many state legislative candidates faced no major party opposition in November in these states was 41.8 percent. This compares to 32.7 percent in 2010, 38.3 percent in 2012, and 43.0 percent in 2014.
- South Dakota generally has more open seats than the U.S. average. However, nearly half of legislators who retired in 2016 were forced out by term limits, making the state's rate of open seats less impressive.
- More details on electoral competitiveness in South Dakota can be found below.
List of candidates
General election
Primary election
Races we watched
Ballotpedia identified five notable South Dakota state primary races in 2016, two of which were state House contests.
Click here to read more about Ballotpedia's coverage of notable South Dakota races »
Primary contests
- District 16 featured a candidate rematch.
- ☑ David Anderson (Inc.) ☑ Kevin Jensen ☐ William Shorma
- Five Republicans competed for the top two spots on the November ballot.
- ☑ Tim Goodwin ☐ Travis Lasseter ☐ Richard Mounce ☐ Marilyn Oakes ☑ Julie Frye-Mueller
Margins of victory
The average margin of victory for contested races in the South Dakota House of Representatives in 2016 was higher than other chambers that elect their members in races with two winners. The 70 seats in the South Dakota House of Representatives are elected in 33 races with two winners each and four races with one winner each. In the 33 races in 2016 with two winners each, 23 races were contested, meaning at least three candidates competed for the two seats in the general election, and did not split between the parties. The average margin of victory across these races, measured as the distance between the winner with the fewest votes and the loser with the most votes, was 10.9 percent. Across all similar two-winner state legislative elections in 2016, the average margin of victory was 10.4 percent. All four races with one winner were uncontested.
| Republican candidates in the South Dakota House of Representatives saw larger margins of victory than Democratic candidates in 2016. Republicans won 60 seats in 2016: two in unopposed single-winner races, 10 in unopposed two-winner races, four in races that split between the parties, and 44 in contested races where their party won both seats. In the 22 contested races where Republicans won both seats, the average margin of victory was 11.1 percent. Democrats won 10 seats in 2016: two in unopposed single-winner races, two in an unopposed two-winner race, four in races that split between the parties, and two in a contested race where their party won both seats. In the contested race where Democrats won both seats, the margin of victory was 7.4 percent. |
| More Republican candidates than Democratic candidates saw margins of victory that were less than 10 percentage points. A total of 11 of the 33 two-winner races that were both contested and did not split between the parties—33.3 percent—saw margins of victory that were 10 percent or less. Four races—36.4 percent—saw margins of victory that were 5 percent or less. Republicans won both seats in 10 races with margins of victory of 10 percent or less. |
| South Dakota House of Representatives: 2016 Margins of Victory Less than 10 Percent | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Winning Party 1 | Winning Party 2 | Margin of Victory | Losing Party 1 |
| District 4 | R | R | 8.2 percent | D |
| District 8 | R | R | 7.2 percent | D |
| District 9 | R | R | 3.4 percent | D |
| District 11 | R | R | 9.9 percent | D |
| District 12 | R | R | 3.7 percent | D |
| District 13 | R | R | 8.1 percent | D |
| District 14 | R | R | 8.2 percent | D |
| District 15 | D | D | 7.4 percent | I |
| District 16 | R | R | 7.4 percent | D |
| District 27 | R | R | 2.1 percent | D |
| District 32 | R | R | 4.2 percent | D |
South Dakota House of Representatives: 2016 Margin of Victory Analysis Party Seats won Incumbents winning seats Average margin of victory[2] Unopposed seats Percent unopposed Democrats 10 6 7.4 percent 4 40.0 percent Republicans 60 34 11.1 percent 12 20.0 percent Total 70 40 10.9 percent 16 22.9 percent
Click [show] on the tables below to see the margin of victory in South Dakota House districts in 2016.
| South Dakota House of Representatives: 2016 Margin of Victory by District | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Winning Party 1 | Winning Party 2 | Margin of Victory | Losing Party 1 |
| District 1 | D | D | Unopposed | None |
| District 2 | R | R | 15.8 percent | D |
| District 3 | R | R | 15.2 percent | D |
| District 4 | R | R | 8.2 percent | D |
| District 5 | R | R | 13.6 percent | D |
| District 6 | R | R | 14.6 percent | D |
| District 7 | R | D | 14.3 percent | D |
| District 8 | R | R | 7.2 percent | D |
| District 9 | R | R | 3.4 percent | D |
| District 10 | R | R | 11.4 percent | D |
| District 11 | R | R | 9.9 percent | D |
| District 12 | R | R | 3.7 percent | D |
| District 13 | R | R | 8.1 percent | D |
| District 14 | R | R | 8.2 percent | D |
| District 15 | D | D | 7.4 percent | I |
| District 16 | R | R | 7.4 percent | D |
| District 17 | D | R | 2.8 percent | D |
| District 18 | R | R | 13.8 percent | D |
| District 19 | R | R | 24.0 percent | D |
| District 20 | R | R | Unopposed | None |
| District 21 | R | D | 15.5 percent | D |
| District 22 | R | R | 11.1 percent | D |
| District 23 | R | R | Unopposed | None |
| District 24 | R | R | Unopposed | None |
| District 25 | R | D | 0.2 percent | R |
| District 26A | D | N/A[3] | Unopposed | None |
| District 26B | R | N/A[3] | Unopposed | None |
| District 27 | R | R | 2.1 percent | D |
| District 28A | D | N/A[3] | Unopposed | None |
| District 28B | R | N/A[3] | Unopposed | None |
| District 29 | R | R | Unopposed | None |
| District 30 | R | R | 20.6 percent | D |
| District 31 | R | R | Unopposed | None |
| District 32 | R | R | 4.2 percent | D |
| District 33 | R | R | 17.8 percent | D |
| District 34 | R | R | 10.9 percent | D |
| District 35 | R | R | 12.7 percent | D |
Important dates and deadlines
- See also: South Dakota elections, 2016
The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in South Dakota in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description | |
| January 1, 2016 | Ballot access | Candidate petition circulation period begins | |
| March 29, 2016 | Ballot access | Primary candidate filing deadline | |
| April 26, 2016 | Ballot access | Independent candidate filing deadline | |
| May 27, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-primary campaign finance report due | |
| June 7, 2016 | Election date | Primary election | |
| August 12, 2016 | Campaign finance | Post-primary campaign finance report due for candidates who will not be on the ballot in the general election | |
| October 28, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-general campaign finance report due | |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election | |
| February 6, 2017 | Campaign finance | 2016 year-end campaign finance report due | |
| Source: South Dakota Secretary of State, "2016 Candidate Calendar," accessed August 7, 2015 | |||
Competitiveness
Candidates unopposed by a major party
In 23 (32.8%) of the 70 seats that were up for election in 2016, there was only one major party fielding candidates for election, or a major party is virtually guaranteed a seat as two candidates from the same major party faced one candidate from the other major party in a dual-member district. A total of 7 Democrats and 16 Republicans were guaranteed election barring unforeseen circumstances.
Two major party candidates faced off in the general election in 47 (67.1%) of the 70 seats up for election.
Primary challenges
Twelve incumbents, all Republican, faced primary competition on June 7. Twenty-eight incumbents did not seek re-election in 2016 and another 30 incumbents advanced past the primary without opposition.
- District 23: Incumbent Dick Werner (R) of District 22 was defeated in the Republican primary.
Retired incumbents
Twenty-eight incumbent representatives did not run for re-election, while 42 (60%) ran for re-election. A list of those incumbents, 5 Democrats and 23 Republicans, can be found above.
Impact of term limits
- See also: State legislatures with term limits
The South Dakota House of Representatives has been a term-limited house of representatives since South Dakota voters approved Ballot Issue A in 1992, an initiated constitutional amendment. This amendment became part of Section 6 of Article III of the South Dakota Constitution and limits the amount of time that a South Dakota Representative can stay in office to no more than four consecutive two-year terms. There are 70 members of the South Dakota House of Representatives. In 2016, fourteen of them who were current members, five Democrats and 9 Republicans, were ineligible to run again in November.
The state representatives who are term-limited in 2016 were:
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Results from 2014
There were 6,057 seats in 87 chambers with elections in 2014. All three aspects of Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Index—the number of open seats, incumbents facing primary opposition, and general elections between partisan candidates—showed poor results compared to the prior election cycle. States with elections in 2014 held fewer general elections between partisan candidates. Additionally, fewer incumbents faced primary opposition and more incumbents ran for re-election than in recent years.
Since 2010, when the Competitiveness Index was established, there had not been an even-year election cycle to do statistically worse in any of the three categories. See the following chart for a breakdown of those scores between each year.
| Overall Competitiveness | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2012 | 2014 | |
| Competitiveness Index | 36.2 | 35.8 | 31.4 |
| % Open Seats | 18.6% | 21.2% | 17.0% |
| % Incumbent with primary challenge | 22.7% | 24.6% | 20.1% |
| % Candidates with major party opposition | 67.3% | 61.7% | 57.0% |
The following table details South Dakota's rates for open seats, incumbents that faced primary challenges, and major party competition in the 2014 general election.
| South Dakota State Legislature 2014 Competitiveness | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| % Open Seats | % Incumbent with primary challenge | % Candidates with major party opposition | Competitiveness Index | Overall rank |
| 30.5% | 23.3% | 40.95% | 31.58 | 17 |
Campaign contributions
The following chart shows how many candidates ran for State House in South Dakota in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in State House races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests.[4]
| South Dakota House of Representatives Donations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Candidates | Amount |
| 2014 | 139 | $1,597,765 |
| 2012 | 143 | $1,579,223 |
| 2010 | 132 | $1,664,722 |
| 2008 | 181 | $1,469,248 |
| 2006 | 157 | $1,264,398 |
State comparison
The map below shows the average contributions to 2014 candidates for state houses. The average contributions raised by state house candidates in 2014 was $59,983. South Dakota, at $11,495 per candidate, is ranked 39 of 45 for state house chambers with the highest average contributions. Hover your mouse over a state to see the average campaign contributions for that state’s house candidates in 2014.[4][5]
Qualifications
To be eligible to serve in the South Dakota House of Representatives, a candidate must be:[6]
- A U.S. citizen at the time of filing
- 21 years old at the filing deadline time
- A two-year resident of South Dakota at the filing deadline time
- May not have been convicted of bribery, perjury or other infamous crime; may not have illegally taken "public moneys"
- A qualified voter. A qualified voter is someone who is:
- * A U.S. citizen
- * Reside in South Dakota
- * At least 18 years old old on or before the next election
- * Not serving a sentence for a felony conviction which included imprisonment, served or suspended, in an adult penitentiary system
- * Not be judged mentally incompetent by a court of law
- * Not have served 4 consecutive terms
See also
- South Dakota House of Representatives
- South Dakota State Legislature
- State legislative elections, 2016
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Under Ballotpedia's competitiveness criteria, districts that have a margin of victory of less than 5 percent are considered highly competitive. Districts that have a margin of victory from 5 to 10 percent are considered mildly competitive.
- ↑ Excludes unopposed elections and districts that split between the parties
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 This was a one-winner race
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 followthemoney.org, "Contributions to candidates and committees in elections in South Dakota," accessed July 28, 2015
- ↑ This map relies on data collected in July 2015.
- ↑ Qualifications for running for South Dakota Senate
