General election day in South Dakota, as well as throughout the nation, is Tuesday, Nov. 4. Later that evening, the nation should know who its next president will be, as well as other elected positions and ballot issues that will also be on the ballot.

Highlighting the 2008 election is the presidential election. In addition to the major party candidates, Democrats Barack Obama/Joe Biden and Republicans John McCain/Sarah Palin, there are three other candidates for president on the SD ballot. They include Constitution Party candidates Chuck Baldwin/Darrell Castle and Independent candidates Bob Barr/Wayne Root and Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzales.

There are several other statewide races in South Dakota. Incumbent US Sen. Tim Johnson, a Democrat, is being challenged by Republican Joel Dykstra. Incumbent US Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, a Democrat, is up against Republican Chris Lien. The other statewide race is Public Utilities Commissioner. That race pits incumbent Commissioner Gary Hanson, a Republican, against Democratic challenger Matt McLarty and Constitution Party challenger Eugene Hidalgo.

State Legislative District #23, which includes all of Campbell, Walworth, Edmunds, Potter, Faulk and Hyde Counties and the western portion of McPherson County, will elect three new representatives in the election, as none of the incumbents are on the ballot. State Senator Jay Duenwald and Representative Justin Davis did not seek re-election, and Representative Tom Hackl was defeated in the Republican primary election for state senate.

The election for state senate pits Democrat Nicholas Nemec against Republican Corey Brown. Nemec is a former state representative from Dist. 23. Brown defeated Hackl in the primary to earn the right to challenge Nemec.

The state representative election will be decided between four challengers, with the top two vote-getters to be elected. Candidates include Republican Justin Cronin, Republican Charles Hoffman, Independent Wayne Schmidt and Democrat Orland Geigle. Democrat Leonard Linde’s name will appear on the ballot, but he has withdrawn from the race.

The ballot will also contain four proposed Constitutional amendments and three initiated measures. The full text of the proposed amendments and initiatives was included in the Oct. 9 issue of the Prairie Pioneer. It is also available elsewhere, including the secretary of state’s website, www.sdsos.gov.

The election polls will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Nov. 4. Voters in Precinct #1 vote at the Herreid Senior Citizens Center, Precinct #2 at the Pollock School Gym, Precinct #3 at the Herreid Senior Citizens Center, Precinct #4 at the Mound City Community Center and Precinct #5 at the Campbell County Courthouse Courtroom. The voting precincts correspond with the commissioner districts in Campbell County.

Anyone with a question as to where they vote, or any other questions about the election, should contact the County Auditor’s Office at (605) 955-3366.