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Madison staff to plan June municipal elections under new state law; no action taken
Summary
City staff will prepare to hold future municipal elections in June to align with the state primary after the passage of HB 1130; commissioners gave direction but took no formal vote.
Madison city staff said the city will begin planning to hold future municipal elections in June to align with South Dakota's primary election, following the state Legislature's passage of HB 1130.
Jamieson, a city staff member, told the commission the bill requires cities and school districts to move local elections either to June (the state's primary) or November (the state's general election). He said the city historically held elections in April with the school district and that staff were seeking direction to begin planning rather than formal action that night.
The issue matters because moving an election changes workloads and costs for the finance and election administration functions. Amy, a city staff member, said election-related costs include ballots and paid election workers and noted the city typically coordinates and pays some costs in consultation with volunteers and the school district. Jamieson said aligning with the school district offers efficiencies in work and cost-sharing, and several commissioners indicated a preference to align with the school district.
Commissioners discussed advantages and disadvantages of June versus November voting and asked staff to gather additional input from the school district. Jamieson said the commission will still set the official election date each year and that staff expected a formal action to set a June date in early 2026 if the commission chooses that path. He concluded, “For now, we'll plan for June.”
No motion or ordinance to change the official election date was taken at the meeting; staff were instructed to proceed with planning and to return a formal item for a future meeting where the commission can adopt an official election date.
The discussion took place during the unfinished-business agenda item about scheduling future municipal elections; commissioners explicitly framed the session as guidance for staff rather than a final decision. The commission will consider a formal date-setting action at a later meeting once staff and the school district finalize inputs.
