SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — All the votes have been counted and the winner of the Sioux Falls mayoral race recount remained the same.
Shortly after 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Christine Erickson was named the winner after the two-day recount finished. The final tally was 18,281 votes for Erickson to beat Jamie Smith by four votes. Smith finished with 18,277 votes.
Erickson will be sworn in as mayor on July 17 if there’s no legal intervention. Erickson would be the first female mayor of Sioux Falls.
Smith told KELOLAND News he is not conceding the race and added it is possible he will take legal action.
State law allows for a “election contest.” An election contest can question anything but the accuracy of the ballot count.
“Aside from the question of the accuracy of the ballot count, the election contest may address any other question that is relevant or material to the ultimate question of whether the official result of the election is correct,” the state law about election contest says.
An “election contest” must be started within five days after a recount.
Smith requested the recount after the June 26 runoff election showed two votes separated him from certified winner Erickson. If the recount shows Smith with the most votes the city will need to certify him as the winner. Smith and Erickson were at the recount early Thursday afternoon.
Erickson was certified as the winner of the June 23 runoff election on June 26.
The two candidates had advanced to the June 23 runoff election from the June 3 election, in which no candidate received 50% of the required votes to win.
Erickson served on the city council from 2014 until 2022 when she reached the term limit of eight years. She also served a term in the South Dakota House of Representatives in 2013 and 2014.
Smith served in the South Dakota House from 2017 to 2023. He was elected to the South Dakota State Senate and started serving there in January of 2025.
Thursday recount progress
The recount board was making progress Thursday afternoon during the second day of the recount.
When ballots still need to be counted as of about 3:45 p.m. Thursday, Santella said representatives of each candidate’s campaign said 50% to 60% of the precincts had been tabulated.
As of about 2:20 p.m., three tabulation machines were running.
Checking the ovals
The three-member recount board spent the morning checking ballots.
Part of checking the ballots included the ovals filled out by voters on a ballot. Before 11:30 a.m. the board had brought out a magnifying sheet to visually enhance the marking on a ballot.
The board votes on acceptance of ballots.
