Oglala Lakota County is a Democratic stronghold. About 79% of voters here vote Democratic and 21% Republican.
About 49% of adults in Oglala Lakota County typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Oglala Lakota County, ~39% vote Democratic, ~10% Republican, and ~51% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Oglala Lakota County compares
Politics vary noticeably by city within Oglala Lakota County. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+68) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+32), a spread of about 36 points.
Why Oglala Lakota 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 Oglala Lakota County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 63% of adults in Oglala Lakota County have never been married, in the top fraction of counties.
Why turnout in Oglala Lakota County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Oglala Lakota County 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 38%, about 22 points below the U.S. average of 60%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 48% of households in Oglala Lakota County rent, about 23 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 77% of adults in Oglala Lakota County have completed high school, below 97% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
Counties with Similar Populations
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from , 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.