Howes leans Democratic by roughly 26 points: about 63% of voters vote Democratic and 37% Republican.
About 45% of adults in Howes typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Howes, ~28% vote Democratic, ~17% Republican, and ~55% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Howes compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Howes leans more Democratic than 5 of 7 neighbors.
Howes runs about 55 points more Democratic than South Dakota as a whole. South Dakota leans Republican overall, while Howes is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Howes. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+37) and the west side runs the most Republican (R+85), a spread of about 122 points.
Why Howes 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 Howes, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Howes votes against the grain of South Dakota. South Dakota leans Republican overall, while Howes runs about 55 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 49% of adults in Howes have never been married, above 98% of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Howes, SD sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Howes looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Howes is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 48%, about 18 points below the South Dakota average of 66%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 49% of households in Howes rent, compared to around 30% in nearby cities. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Howes sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Milesville, SD R+73
- Glad Valley, SD D+37
- Cherry Creek, SD D+37
- Pedro, SD R+81
- Kirley, SD R+73
- White Owl, SD R+85
- Faith, SD R+76
Cities with Similar Populations
- Van Horn, WA R+25
- Kansas Settlement, AZ R+41
- Santa Fe, OH R+71
- Pine Tree Corners, DE R+11
- Yolano, CA R+26
- Amoret, MO R+66
- Daniel, GA R+31
- Lone Oak, TN R+71
- Berlin, ND R+59
- Long Lake Colony, SD 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.