Aurora County is a Republican stronghold. About 21% of voters here vote Democratic and 79% Republican.
About 62% of adults in Aurora County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Aurora County, ~13% vote Democratic, ~49% Republican, and ~38% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Aurora County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Aurora County leans more Republican than 6 of 10 neighbors.
Aurora County runs about 30 points more Republican than South Dakota as a whole.
Why Aurora County leans the way it does
Density, race composition, education, and family structure all sit close to their national averages in Aurora County. The lean here lands roughly where demographic data alone would predict.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Aurora County, SD sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Aurora County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Aurora County is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Douglas County, SD R+68
- Davison County, SD R+43
- Jerauld County, SD R+48
- Sanborn County, SD R+59
- Brule County, SD R+52
- Charles Mix County, SD R+39
- Hanson County, SD R+72
- Hutchinson County, SD R+65
- Beadle County, SD R+46
- Buffalo County, SD D+24
Counties with Similar Populations
- Real County, TX R+64
- Logan County, KS R+67
- Decatur County, KS R+65
- Gove County, KS R+77
- Sherman County, TX R+69
- Morton County, KS R+74
- Jackson County, SD R+9
- Ness County, KS R+77
- Trego County, KS R+67
- Hall County, TX R+63
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from South Dakota Secretary of State, Elections, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.