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

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

Walker leans heavily Democratic by roughly 38 points: about 69% of voters vote Democratic and 31% Republican.

 

About 50% of adults in Walker typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Walker, ~35% vote Democratic, ~15% Republican, and ~50% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Walker compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Walker leans more Democratic than 6 of 10 neighbors.

Walker runs about 67 points more Democratic than South Dakota as a whole. South Dakota leans Republican overall, while Walker is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Walker. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+58) and the west side runs the most Republican (R+69), a spread of about 127 points.

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

Walker votes against the grain of South Dakota. South Dakota leans Republican overall, while Walker runs about 67 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 43% of adults in Walker have never been married, above 95% of cities.

Preventive-care access and voter turnout

Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Walker, SD sits in the bottom 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 Walker looks the way it does

Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Walker 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 40% of households in Walker rent, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Walker sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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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.