Independent, no party affiliation voters now outnumber Democrats in South Dakota

As of Monday morning, registered Independent and no party affiliation voters have now, albiet barely, surpassed the number of registered Democrat voters in South Dakota.

In updated numbers released by the Secretary of State's Office, there were 90,579 registered Independent and 60,530 no party affiliation voters for a total of 151,109. That's 223 more voters than the 150,886 registered Democrats.

Michael Card, a retired professor emeritus in political science at the University of South Dakota, said the number of Independent and no party registered voters in South Dakota has been growing steadily during the past few decades.

More: SDDP Chair ousted in recall election; has 20 days for appeals process

Data tracking the number of registered South Dakota voters since the 1970's shows Independent and no party affiliation voters have grown every two years by about a single percentage point since 1992, Card told the Argus Leader in an email. Meanwhile, the number of registered Democrats in the state peaked in 1980 while the total number of registered Republicans has increased since that time.

"Democratic party decreases have been slow and steady save for 2014 – 2018, nearly matching the gain in Independent party registrations," Card wrote.

But with a new political party — the No Labels Party — now registered in South Dakota, it could offer voters the chance to shift away from established Democrat and Republican parties.

Since No Labels was recognized in South Dakota at the beginning of August, three voters have registered with the party, according to Rachel Soulek, the director of elections in the Secretary of State's Office.

South Dakota is one of 10 states to recognize the No Labels Party on a ballot, and the new party is hoping to offer a third option during the 2024 Presidential Election if "Democrats and Republicans 'select unreasonably divisive presidential nominees,'" according to the Associated Press.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Independent, no party affiliation voters outnumber Democrats in SD