Vale is a Republican stronghold. About 11% of voters here vote Democratic and 89% Republican.
About 57% of adults in Vale typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Vale, ~6% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~43% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Vale compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Vale leans more Republican than 12 of 14 neighbors.
Vale runs about 49 points more Republican than South Dakota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Vale. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+83) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+60), a spread of about 23 points.
Why Vale 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 Vale, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 2% of residents in Vale live in densely developed areas, about 7 points below the South Dakota average of 9%.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Vale, SD sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Vale looks the way it does
Turnout in Vale sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Newell, SD R+75
- Nisland, SD R+78
- Volunteer, SD R+83
- Fort Meade, SD R+49
- Whitewood, SD R+53
- Sturgis, SD R+42
- St. Onge, SD R+57
- Fairpoint, SD R+80
- Fruitdale, SD R+72
- Tilford, SD R+62
Cities with Similar Populations
- Winthrop, AR R+73
- Jalapa, IN R+54
- Saginaw, MO R+58
- Luxemburg, IA R+46
- Buda, IL R+45
- Norwood, TX R+75
- Brandon, OH R+58
- Cook, NE R+52
- Keethtown, MO R+74
- Alvord, IA R+77
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.