Beadle County leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 64% of adults in Beadle County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Beadle County, ~17% vote Democratic, ~47% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Beadle County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Beadle County leans more Republican than 1 of 9 neighbors.
Beadle County runs about 16 points more Republican than South Dakota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Beadle County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+71) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+42), a spread of about 28 points.
Why Beadle County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Beadle County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Beadle County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 52%, far above the South Dakota average of 9%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Beadle County, SD sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Beadle County looks the way it does
Turnout in Beadle County sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Jerauld County, SD R+48
- Sanborn County, SD R+59
- Spink County, SD R+50
- Hand County, SD R+62
- Kingsbury County, SD R+50
- Clark County, SD R+57
- Miner County, SD R+52
- Davison County, SD R+43
- Aurora County, SD R+59
- Hanson County, SD R+72
Counties with Similar Populations
- Perry County, IN R+39
- Pickens County, AL R+21
- Gem County, ID R+58
- McDowell County, WV R+56
- Roosevelt County, NM R+37
- Kent County, MD Even
- Polk County, AR R+63
- Ashley County, AR R+46
- Butler County, AL R+13
- Green Lake County, WI R+34
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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.