Lake City leans Republican by roughly 24 points: about 38% of voters vote Democratic and 62% Republican.
About 55% of adults in Lake City typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Lake City, ~21% vote Democratic, ~34% Republican, and ~45% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Lake City compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Lake City leans more Republican than 4 of 16 neighbors.
Lake City runs about 4 points more Democratic than South Dakota as a whole.
Why Lake City leans the way it does
Density, race composition, education, and family structure all sit close to their national averages in Lake City. 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; Lake City, SD sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Lake City looks the way it does
High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, mostly because the housing stress common in those areas makes voting harder. Lake City sits in the top 15% nationally on a violent-crime measure. See CrimeGrade for more details. Strong routine healthcare access lines up with higher turnout, and Lake City sits in the top quarter on routine-care measures. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Eden, SD R+23
- Veblen, SD R+20
- Roslyn, SD R+44
- Spain, SD R+29
- Britton, SD R+39
- Kidder, SD R+29
- Grenville, SD R+31
- Claire City, SD R+44
- Sisseton, SD Even
Cities with Similar Populations
- Swede Heaven, WA R+26
- Brevig Mission, AK D+33
- Penn, MI R+33
- Cossayuna, NY R+17
- Hubbardstown, WV R+69
- Indianola, UT R+66
- Graymont, IL R+57
- Pisgah, SC D+16
- Perry Point, MD R+14
- Old Town, IA R+53
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.