Badger is a Republican stronghold. About 24% of voters here vote Democratic and 76% Republican.
About 67% of adults in Badger typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Badger, ~16% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Badger compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Badger leans more Republican than 13 of 26 neighbors.
Badger runs about 24 points more Republican than South Dakota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Badger. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+68) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+49), a spread of about 20 points.
Why Badger leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Badger, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. Badger sits in the bottom quarter on density and about 94% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 13 points above the South Dakota average of 81%.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Badger, SD sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Badger looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Badger 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 71%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 91% of households in Badger own their home, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Hetland, SD R+50
- Lake Norden, SD R+70
- Arlington Beach, SD R+51
- Lake Poinsett, SD R+55
- Arlington, SD R+49
- Stone Bridge, SD R+50
- Hayti, SD R+73
- Erwin, SD R+53
- Lake Preston, SD R+49
- Bryant, SD R+70
Cities with Similar Populations
- Iberia, KY R+66
- Bretz, WV R+57
- Sliders, VA R+44
- Donnellson, IL R+49
- Glennonville, MO R+74
- Bay Center, WA D+4
- Linkville, MI R+54
- Union Center, IA R+64
- Lyons, KY R+63
- Grand Marais, MI R+25
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.