Record Number of Absentee Ballots Returned in Sioux Falls for June Election

The ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has forced many of us to rethink how we do many of the things we have done the same way for years.

Things like how we dine out, go to the grocery store, and even how we interact with one another.

It's also making for a dramatic shift in how we cast our votes during election season.

Absentee balloting is not a new concept, but with social distancing now the norm for the foreseeable future, more and more of us are choosing to submit our votes without setting foot in a polling place.

In Sioux Falls, with a municipal/primary election coming up in two weeks (June 2), a record number of registered voters have cast their ballots via the mail.

The Argus Leader is reporting that more than 6,200 of the 14,500 absentee ballots mailed to city voters have been returned. That total is slightly less than the combined number of absentee ballots cast in the 2018 mayoral election and subsequent runoff election.

Voters will cast their ballots on a number of items on June 2.

Sioux Falls School Board and City Council seats are being contested as well as a vote on a pair of charter amendments.

Also on the ballot are primary elections for Democratic and Republican candidates for United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and the Minnehaha County State's Attorney.

The primary winners will advance to the general election November 3.