South Dakota voters cast more than 52,000 absentee ballots during the 2014 midterm election.

In the race for governor, Democrat Billie Sutton, a state senator and former professional rodeo cowboy, will hold a Friday event in Sioux Falls to kick off early voting. Campaign spokeswoman Mackenzie Huber said in an email that Sutton has spent years listening to the state's voters and would like to "ensure their voices are heard loudly and clearly in this election."

The campaign for Sutton's Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem, will be running a "robust" turnout operation that encourages people to "vote today and not wait until the last minute," campaign manager Justin Brasell said in a statement. Noem, the state's lone U.S. House member, has never taken a race for granted and this year's could be tight because of the current political landscape, he said.

Republican Dusty Johnson, who is running for Noem's House seat, plans to use email and social media to urge supporters to vote early, campaign manager Will Mortenson said.

"Early voting is huge in South Dakota," Mortenson said in a statement. "A vote cast for Dusty on Sept. 27 is a vote we don't have to chase through Election Day. It allows us to focus on folks who haven't got the chance to know Dusty yet."

The campaign for Johnson's Democratic opponent, Tim Bjorkman, didn't immediately reply to emails seeking comment.

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