Codington County leans heavily Republican by roughly 42 points: about 29% of voters vote Democratic and 71% Republican.
About 73% of adults in Codington County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Codington County, ~21% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~27% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Codington County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Codington County leans more Republican than 5 of 10 neighbors.
Codington County runs about 13 points more Republican than South Dakota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Codington County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+57) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+37), a spread of about 20 points.
Why Codington 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 Codington County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 84% of residents in Codington County drive to work alone, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Codington 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 Codington County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Codington 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 94% of adults in Codington County have completed high school, above 86% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Hamlin County, SD R+64
- Deuel County, SD R+54
- Clark County, SD R+57
- Grant County, SD R+52
- Day County, SD R+42
- Kingsbury County, SD R+50
- Brookings County, SD R+25
- Big Stone County, MN R+33
- Roberts County, SD R+19
- Lac qui Parle County, MN R+38
Counties with Similar Populations
- Leflore County, MS D+53
- Bradford County, FL R+50
- Jones County, GA R+41
- Dillon County, SC R+5
- Wythe County, VA R+57
- Montgomery County, IL R+44
- Dunklin County, MO R+50
- Copiah County, MS D+6
- Carroll County, AR R+48
- Baker County, FL R+61
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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.