Codington County Selects Precincts for 2026 Election Audit in Watertown

Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - Following the official canvass of the 2026 General Election on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, the Codington County Board of Commissioners and County Auditor Brenda Hanten conducted the mandatory public drawing to select the precincts and contests for the county's post-election hand-count audit.

Under South Dakota law (SDCL 12-17B-20), county auditors must select precincts and contests at random, without the use of a computer, in public during the county canvassing board meeting (South Dakota Secretary of State Post-Election Audit Guide). Hanten explained to the board that the post-election audit serves as a manual verification of the optical ballot tabulators by comparing hand-counted paper ballots against the machine-tabulated totals.

How the Manual Audit Process Works

During the meeting, Hanten placed paper slips listing the statewide contests into a bowl for the first drawing, followed by a second drawing encompassing the remaining legislative and countywide races on the ballot, pairing each selected contest with randomly drawn county precincts that met the minimum threshold of Cast ballots.

Hanten outlined how the three-person auditing board will conduct the manual recount: one member reads the paper ballot, a second member tallies the vote, and the third serves as a referee, with members rotating duties until all ballots in the selected precincts for the drawn contests are counted by hand.

By state law (SDCL 12-17B-21 and ARSD 05:02:23:07), the post-election audit is open to the public, and spectators may observe the manual count inside the Codington County Courthouse Commission Chambers as long as they maintain a reasonable distance and do not disrupt the auditing board (South Dakota Secretary of State Post-Election Audit Guide).

Once completed, the county auditor submits the audit results to the South Dakota Secretary of State for publication online and presents the findings to the county commission at its next regular meeting to be recorded in the official minutes (South Dakota Secretary of State Post-Election Audit Guide).

Residents who wish to check the official public notice for the post-election audit schedule or view the published audit certificate once completed can verify them through:

1.     South Dakota Secretary of State Website: Official notices of the time and location of county post-election audits and final audit results are posted on the Secretary of State's election portal (see the South Dakota Secretary of State Post-Election Audit Guide for statutory notice and reporting procedures).

2.     Codington County Auditor's Office: Inquiries regarding observing the manual recount at the Codington County Courthouse, 14 1st Ave. SE, Room #114 in Watertown, can be directed to the Codington County Auditor's Office at 605-882-6297.

Commissioners and Auditor Thank Poll Workers, Maintenance Staff, and Boy Scout Troop 209

Following the audit drawing, commissioners and Hanten commended the county's election workers, courthouse staff, and local volunteers for their work from pre-election training through late Tuesday night.

"I was up there Tuesday night pretty late, and we've got a lot of tremendous people that are really willing to give us their time to help to make sure it's done right," Commissioner Randy Schweer said. "It makes me feel really proud of our county and their employees, how they help, and it's all open, transparent, and it was just fabulous running. If there was a hiccup, everybody was there that needed to be there to handle it."

Hanten reported strong attendance at the pre-election worker training school, with only about half a dozen workers unable to attend, and thanked the county's maintenance staff for transporting ballot boxes, supply bags, and equipment to set up the Codington County Extension Complex. Hanten also noted that consolidating a few precincts for efficiency meant some longtime election workers were not needed this cycle, though they remain eager to serve in future elections.

In addition, Hanten recognized seven members of Boy Scout Troop 209 who volunteered at the courthouse on election night to help precinct workers carry heavy ballot boxes and supply bags upstairs:

·         Lincoln Jones

·         Corvin Jones

·         Liam Urban

·         Harley Knox

·         Trayton Reese

·         Jared Steinberg

·         Jacob Beich

"They were a tremendous help," Hanten said. "Those guys were up here, young gentlemen, helping bring all those supplies upstairs, and that helps our ladies, too."

Hanten also apologized to Sheridan Township voters for confusion caused by a polling location change prior to the election after one previous host venue began remodeling and another declined to host, adding that her office distributed public service announcements, newspaper notices, and directional signage at former sites to guide voters to the new location.