How Much Does it Cost to Win a Local Sioux Falls Election?
We took a look at the recent City Council race in Sioux Falls and asked ourselves, How Much Does it Cost to Win a Local Sioux Falls Election.
Here is what we found…
Alex Jensen (Winner)
At Large
Raised: $117,588.42
Votes: 13,791
Cost Per Vote: $8.53
Jensen won by 97 votes after a recount. If he spent as much as his opponent getting the first 13,694 that means those 97 votes cost $1,046.84 each.
VS
Theresa Stehly
At Large
Raised: $16,045.00
Votes: 13,694
Cost Per Vote: $1.17
Stehly was the incumbent candidate and had a large base. This helps explain the small cost per vote.
Greg Neitzert (Winner)
Northwest District
Raised: $23,811.23
Votes: 2,875
Cost Per Vote: $8.28
Neitzert was the incumbent and is the Vice Chair of the Council.
VS
Julian Beaudion
Northwest District
Raised: $10,968.00
Votes: 1,820
Cost Per Vote: $6.03
Beaudion fought an up-hill battle taking on the Vice Chair but gained a lot of name recognition around the City.
This was an unprecedented race with delays, recounts, and a record amount of money raised for a City Council seat.
So….to answer the question of How Much Does It Cost to Win a Local Sioux Falls Election, the answer is around $8.50 per vote.
***We used SiouxFalls.org to collect the data as of 06/01. The candidates may still need to file campaign disclosures and all the money raised may not have been spent.