Jones County looks to continue trend of high voter turnout in 2024 election

MURDO, S.D. — Voters in Jones County descended Tuesday on the local courthouse in Murdo to make a handful of choices in the 2024 election, including in races for District 26 senator and a pair of races for District 26A and District 26B representatives.

The results of those races were not yet known Tuesday afternoon, but if past experience is any indication, Jones County would likely be in the upper echelon of voter turnout statistics when the election was all said and done. The county has regularly enjoyed voter turnouts well above the state average dating back at least 10 years.

Kerri Venard, auditor for Jones County, told the Mitchell Republic that there is no magic formula to high voter engagement in Jones County.

“There’s nothing special that we do to get voters in,” Venard said. “They’re just very interested in voting.”

Over the past 10 years of general elections, Jones County has regularly seen voter turnout percentages at least 10 points higher than the state turnout average. The county has a population of around 900 people, less than a person per square mile, according to the United States Census Bureau, and elections consistently draw the majority of registered voters.

According to statistics from the South Dakota Secretary of State website, Jones County saw a 67.09% turnout for the 2014 general election, indicating 473 of 705 registered voters cast a ballot, compared to 54.18% for the state.

That trend continued over the next 10 years, with the 2016 general election seeing 80.56% of 710 registered voters cast a vote compared to 69.62% across the state. That number dipped slightly in 2018, a non-presidential election year, when 79.94% of 688 registered voters went to the polls, compared to 64.89% for the state. Jones County’s turnout jumped again in 2020, with 85.97% of voters taking part in the election, compared to 73.88% for the state.

Jones County again topped state figures in the most recent general election in 2020. That election saw 72.09% of Jones County residents – 478 of 663 registered voters – head to the polls. That again was ahead of the state average of 54.40% by nearly 20 percentage points.

There is little reason to believe that turnout won’t be high again in 2024. The county, part of District 26 for its state senate races and District 26A and District 26B for its state house races, will have choices to make for their district lawmakers as well as statewide and national races.

District 26 has a race in the senate between incumbent Shawn Bordeaux, a Democrat from Mission, and Tamara Grove, a Republican challenger from Lower Brule. In District 26A, incumbent Eric E. Emery, a Democrat from Rosebud, is facing Republican Ron Frederick, a Republican from Mission, and William Craig Lafferty, an Independent candidate from Mission. In District 26B, incumbent Rebecca Reimer, a Republican from Chamberlain, is facing David Reis, an Independent candidate from Oacoma.

In addition, like other South Dakotans, Jones County residents will also cast votes for United States president, the candidates of which include Democrats Kamala Harris and Tim Walz and Republicans Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, among others. Also on the ballot is a race for U.S. House between incumbent Republican Dusty Johnson and Democrat challenger Sheryl Johnson.

Venard said absentee balloting has been steady, but mostly by in-person vote. She said there were relatively few mail-in ballots this year compared to years past. She estimated there were likely more absentee ballots cast in 2020 but did not have official numbers available.

It’s a full ballot to decide a number of important races, but even with no specific local office races to decide, most Jones County voters will likely still turn up to the polls.

“We don’t do anything special, and we don’t even have any local races on our ballot,” Venard said.

The county has one polling place, which also covers both state house precincts, at the Harold Thune Auditorium. It is there that the 677 registered voters in the county were converging to cast their ballot.

Taking care of those voters requires a cadre of poll workers to make sure everything runs smoothly. Venard said that, like the voters themselves, her poll workers are steadfast election participants and turn out every election to help guide the democratic process.

“I’m very fortunate that they’re experienced, and I have a lot of people serving from year to year,” Venard said. “And they’re good at their jobs.”

Voters were coming in and out of the Harold Thune Auditorium in Murdo Tuesday morning either on their way to or from casting their votes. Activity had slowed down after doors opened early in the morning, but the pace picked up as the time moved from late morning to early afternoon.

LeAnn Birkeland, of Murdo, was one resident who had just finished voting late Tuesday morning. She said the community has always had a strong sense of civic pride, so it made sense to her that Jones County regularly had higher turnouts than the state.

“I think as a whole this community shows up, is very giving, and they want their voices heard,” Birkeland told the Mitchell Republic. “If you have a population like we do, and to be involved and engaged in our community, you have to show up.”

Bev Ball, another Murdo resident who was at the polls Tuesday, agreed.

Now a retired teacher, Ball has seen how area residents treat their elections seriously. Even in years with no local races to decide, people still show up in droves.

“I just think that everybody thinks that their voice does matter, and we want it to matter. So they show up. I think that’s the biggest thing,” Ball said. “We are a part of what happens to our world, and I think we contribute. (And) there are always issues that hit our community, too. Everybody wants a say or a part in it.”

The day was still young, and many more voters were expected to swing by the auditorium to grab their ballot and vote.

Birkeland said she was glad to do her civic duty along with the rest of her fellow Jones County residents. That’s how she was raised, she said.

“My folks always told me you can’t complain about who is going to get elected unless you vote, so if you don’t vote, you don’t have a say,” Birkeland said.

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