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SD Republicans outnumber Democrats nearly 2 to 1 as election looms

Voting, file photo
Brendan Smialowski
/
AFP/Getty Images
File image

South Dakota Republicans hold a stronger advantage than they did in 2020.

The latest voter registration numbers from the Secretary of State’s Office show 296,491 registered Republicans in the state. That’s an increase of more than 18,000, or 6.7%, from the 2020 general election.

There are just 151,464 registered Democrats, compared to 158,829 two years ago. That's a drop of 4.6%.

There are now nearly as many Independents as Democrats in South Dakota. The state 145,005 registered Independents, an increase of more than 6,600 from 2020.

Historically, the change is even more stark. During the 2012 general election, South Dakota had 243,113 registered Republicans and 189,493 registered Democrats - an advantage of around 53,000 for the GOP.

Today, that advantage has blossomed to more than 145,000.

Josh Chilson is the news director at South Dakota Public Broadcasting. A Florence, S.D. native, Josh graduated with a journalism degree from South Dakota State University. He has worked as a newspaper reporter and videographer, and most recently as managing editor for Dakota News Now. Josh is based out of SDPB's Sioux Falls studio.