FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, February 8, 2018

CONTACT: Kristin Gabriel at (605) 773-3537 or Kristin.Gabriel@state.sd.us

PIERRE, S.D. – Today Secretary of State Shantel Krebs announced new appointee Michael Buckingham of Rapid City for the seven-member, bipartisan Board of Elections.

“I appreciate the willingness of Mike to serve on the bipartisan Board of Elections,” said Secretary Krebs. “Mike will bring extensive knowledge of the elections process in South Dakota to the table.”

Michael Buckingham was selected by House Majority Leader Representative Lee Qualm to replace Mitch LaFluer, who’s term concluded at the end of January.

Board members are appointed in accordance with South Dakota Codified Law 12-1-5:

12-1-5.   State board created--Members--Terms--Vacancies--Oath. There is created a State Board of Elections to be composed of seven members, one of whom shall be the secretary of state who is chairman. Two of the members shall be county auditors appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives from a list of nominees supplied by the county auditors meeting at the South Dakota Association of County Officials. The auditors appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall be of different political party registration. One auditor appointed in 1991 shall be appointed for a two-year term and one shall be appointed for a four-year term. All appointments of auditors after 1991 shall be for four years. One member of the board shall be appointed by each of the following officers: the democratic leader of the Senate, the democratic leader of the House of Representatives, the republican leader of the Senate and the republican leader of the House of Representatives. Appointments to the board shall be as follows: the appointee of the democratic leader of the House of Representatives, 1980 and each fourth year thereafter; the appointee of the republican leader of the Senate, 1981 and each fourth year thereafter; the appointee of the republican leader of the House of Representatives, 1982 and each fourth year thereafter; the appointee of the democratic leader of the Senate, 1983 and each fourth year thereafter. After the appointments made in 1979, the terms of all appointed members of the board, except auditors, shall be for four years. All appointments to the board are to be made by January thirty-first of each year. Vacancies on the board shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments were made. All appointed members of the board shall file with the secretary of state an oath in the form prescribed by § 3-1-5.

Michael Buckingham biography:

Michael Buckingham has been a corporate vice president of Dlorah since 1992 and the president of the Fairway Hills division since 1988.  He oversees the maintenance of the National American University system, as well as properties being developed at Fairway Hills.  Mr. Buckingham served as an elected official on the Rapid City School Board from June 1998 through December 2002 when he resigned after being elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives where he served until January 2009.  During his legislative term he co-chaired the National Council of State Legislatures Redistricting and Elections Committee and was appointed to the US Election Assistance Commission.

Mr. Buckingham graduated from the University of South Dakota in 1981 and recently earned his MBA from National American University in 2009.  In October of 2014 he completed his Masters of Commercial Real Estate a professional designation from CoreNet Global. In October of 2015 he added the workspace specialist to the designation.

Current Board of Elections members: