Orton, SD Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Orton

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Orton leans heavily Democratic by roughly 42 points: about 71% of voters vote Democratic and 29% Republican.

 

About 61% of adults in Orton typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Orton, ~43% vote Democratic, ~18% Republican, and ~39% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Orton compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Orton leans more Democratic than 4 of 6 neighbors.

Orton runs about 71 points more Democratic than South Dakota as a whole. South Dakota leans Republican overall, while Orton is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Orton. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+49) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+63), a spread of about 112 points.

Why Orton 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 Orton, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Orton votes against the grain of South Dakota. South Dakota leans Republican overall, while Orton runs about 71 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 48% of adults in Orton have never been married, above 98% of cities.

Population density and Republican lean

Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Orton, SD sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.

Why turnout in Orton looks the way it does

Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Orton is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 35% of households in Orton rent, above 91% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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.