Oglala is a Democratic stronghold. About 81% of voters here vote Democratic and 19% Republican.
About 49% of adults in Oglala typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Oglala, ~40% vote Democratic, ~9% Republican, and ~51% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Oglala compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Oglala leans more Democratic than 8 of 9 neighbors.
Oglala runs about 90 points more Democratic than South Dakota as a whole. South Dakota leans Republican overall, while Oglala is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Why Oglala 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 Oglala, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Oglala votes against the grain of South Dakota. South Dakota leans Republican overall, while Oglala runs about 90 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 67% of adults in Oglala have never been married, in the top fraction of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Oglala, 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 Oglala looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Oglala 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 33%, about 33 points below the South Dakota average of 66%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 39% of households in Oglala rent, above 94% of cities. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Oglala sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Manderson, SD D+57
- Pine Ridge, SD D+68
- Loomer, SD D+4
- Wounded Knee, SD D+57
- Whiteclay, NE R+78
- Porcupine, SD D+57
- Rockyford, SD D+58
- Oelrichs, SD R+54
- Smithwick, SD R+69
Cities with Similar Populations
- Earleville, MD R+47
- Spout Spring, VA R+48
- Mayville, ND R+33
- Smackover, AR R+48
- Deep Gap, NC R+29
- Salem, MI R+11
- Orondo, WA R+27
- Berkeley Lake, GA Even
- Hoboken, AL R+15
- Otisco, IN R+54
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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.