Spencer is a Republican stronghold. About 24% of voters here vote Democratic and 76% Republican.
About 72% of adults in Spencer typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Spencer, ~17% vote Democratic, ~55% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Spencer compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Spencer leans more Republican than 7 of 29 neighbors.
Spencer runs about 23 points more Republican than South Dakota as a whole.
Why Spencer 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 Spencer, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. Spencer sits in the bottom quarter on density and about 98% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 17 points above the South Dakota average of 81%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 85% of households in Spencer are family households, above 97% of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Spencer, SD sits in the top quarter 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 Spencer looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Spencer is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 91% of households in Spencer own their home, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Farmer, SD R+72
- Salem, SD R+51
- Emery, SD R+69
- Unityville, SD R+52
- Epiphany, SD R+65
- Alexandria, SD R+71
- Bridgewater, SD R+57
- Canova, SD R+52
- Fulton, SD R+74
- Stanley Corner, SD R+54
Cities with Similar Populations
- Karlus, KY R+69
- Mincy, MO R+68
- Nashoba, OK R+74
- Crystal Springs, WV R+51
- Bug, KY R+70
- Linden, MO R+65
- Rogersville, PA R+60
- Big Rock, OH R+62
- Vignes, WI R+22
- Strinestown, PA R+31
All Local Stats
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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.