Red Shirt leans Democratic by roughly 28 points: about 64% of voters vote Democratic and 36% Republican.
About 47% of adults in Red Shirt typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Red Shirt, ~30% vote Democratic, ~17% Republican, and ~53% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Red Shirt compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Red Shirt leans more Democratic than 5 of 6 neighbors.
Red Shirt runs about 56 points more Democratic than South Dakota as a whole. South Dakota leans Republican overall, while Red Shirt is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Red Shirt. The southwest side runs the most Democratic (D+61) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+60), a spread of about 120 points.
Why Red Shirt 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 Red Shirt, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Red Shirt votes against the grain of South Dakota. South Dakota leans Republican overall, while Red Shirt runs about 56 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 51% of adults in Red Shirt have never been married, above 98% of cities.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with low colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Red Shirt, SD sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Red Shirt looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Red Shirt 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 42%, about 24 points below the South Dakota average of 66%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 34% of households in Red Shirt rent, above 89% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Hayward, SD R+59
- Fairburn, SD R+57
- Rockyford, SD D+58
- Hermosa, SD R+58
- Oral, SD R+71
- Scenic, SD R+64
- Buffalo Gap, SD R+53
- Farmingdale, SD R+66
- Smithwick, SD R+69
- Caputa, SD R+67
Cities with Similar Populations
- Ankona, FL R+42
- Reading Center, NY R+22
- Wishaw, PA R+62
- Saum, MN D+39
- Broadbent, OR R+31
- Jady Hill, NH D+19
- Dundee, KS R+67
- Leadpoint, WA R+42
- Myers, NY D+28
- Edna Hill, TX R+73
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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.