SB 138 South Dakota Senate · 2026 Regular Session

revise the time within which a recount for a school board election must be completed.

SB 138 revises South Dakota's school board election recount process by requiring recounts to be completed before the annual board meeting. It affects candidates who lose by a margin of two percent or less, allowing them to request a recount within five days of the official vote count. The bill clarifies that recounts must be finished prior to the annual board meeting specified in §13-8-10, rather than relying on prior ambiguous timing. This change ensures recounts conclude in time for the board's regular meeting schedule without altering the request window or recount board composition rules.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Mar 2026
Introduced Feb 18, 2026 Signed Mar 5, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Enrolled · 2 edits · Mar 1, 2026
MINOR
This bill enrolls Senate Bill 138, which revises the timeline for conducting recounts in South Dakota school board elections. The bill amends existing law to ensure recounts are completed before the annual board meeting, providing clearer procedures for requesting and conducting recounts when candidates are defeated by a small margin.
Scope change
The bill maintains the same scope as the original introduced version, focusing on school board election recounts without changing which elections apply or who is eligible to participate.
TIMELINE

Added enrollment status indicating the bill has passed both legislative chambers and been signed by the Governor, making it official law for the 2026 legislative session.

TECHNICAL

Changed from draft/introduced format to enrolled format with proper signatures, dates, and certification required for a bill to become law.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 17, 2026

How they voted

340
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 35
Feb 17, 2026
D Democratic3
3 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican32
31 Yea 1
96% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
15
Key actions
9
Committee
3
Mar 5, 2026
Signed into law
Signed by the Governor on 2026-03-05 S.J. 474
executive
Mar 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Signed by the Speaker H.J. 493
lower
Mar 2, 2026
Lower · Passed
Signed by the President S.J. 434
lower
Feb 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
House of Representatives Do Pass , Passed, YEAS 66, NAYS 0 H.J. 457
lower
Feb 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
Certified uncontested, placed on consent , Passed,
lower
Feb 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
Education Do Pass , Passed, YEAS 15, NAYS 0
lower
Feb 18, 2026
Introduced
First read in House and referred to House Education H.J. 356
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate Do Pass , Passed, YEAS 34, NAYS 0 S.J. 273
upper
Feb 12, 2026
Upper · Passed
Certified uncontested, placed on consent , Passed, S.J. 11
upper
Feb 12, 2026
Upper · Passed
Education Do Pass , Passed, YEAS 6, NAYS 0 S.J. 11
upper
Jan 29, 2026
Committee
Referred to Senate Education S.J. 143
upper
2 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors