Zell is a Republican stronghold. About 20% of voters here vote Democratic and 80% Republican.
About 67% of adults in Zell typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Zell, ~13% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Zell compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Zell leans more Republican than 9 of 17 neighbors.
Zell runs about 32 points more Republican than South Dakota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Zell. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+68) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+55), a spread of about 13 points.
Why Zell 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 Zell, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 3% of residents in Zell live in densely developed areas, about 6 points below the South Dakota average of 9%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Zell, 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 Zell looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Zell 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Rockham, SD R+67
- Redfield, SD R+45
- Athol, SD R+58
- Tulare, SD R+57
- Ashton, SD R+55
- Miranda, SD R+65
- Polo, SD R+68
- Orient, SD R+66
- Northville, SD R+60
- Glendale Colony, SD R+54
Cities with Similar Populations
- Marienthal, KS R+79
- Yetter, IA R+57
- Tunnel Hill, OH R+64
- Montrose, SC R+19
- Reedyville, KY R+38
- Mount Cobb, PA R+31
- Choteau Junction, MT R+57
- Regal, MO R+63
- Warren, MO R+70
- Pace City, AR R+59
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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.