South Dakota 16th State Senate District (SD) — Elections 1892–2024

2024

How it voted

Share of the 2024 vote

Donald Trump ✓Republican	64.4%	24,813
Kamala HarrisDemocratic	33.4%	12,869
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Other	2.2%	840

D+60

R+60

District boundary, filled by its own 2024 D-vs-R margin — precinct detail where available, over the 4 counties it's drawn from (shown faint).

The precinct map shows the 2024 presidential vote; the timeline scrubs the district’s overall result across 1892–2024, on its current boundaries.

County-level results (4 counties) — table

2024 presidential result by county for South Dakota 16th State Senate District — winner and D-vs-R margin.
County	Winner	Margin
Lincoln County, SD	Republican	R+26.5
Sioux County, IA	Republican	R+70.7
Turner County, SD	Republican	R+51.3
Union County, SD	Republican	R+40.7

38 presidential elections

Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). † 2012 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year	Won	Democratic	Republican	Other	Margin	Total
2024	R	33.4%Harris12,869	64.4%Trump24,813	2.2%Kennedy840	−31.0%	38,522
2020	R	34.7%Biden12,261	62.9%Trump22,204	2.4%Jorgensen855	−28.2%	35,320
2016	R	30.3%Clinton8,673	63.5%Trump18,201	6.2%Johnson1,776	−33.3%	28,650
2012^†	R	36.0%Obama9,323	62.3%Romney16,131	1.7%Johnson430	−26.3%	25,884
2008	R	41.3%Obama10,369	56.9%McCain14,291	1.8%Nader460	−15.6%	25,120
2004	R	35.4%Kerry7,833	63.3%Bush14,022	1.3%Nader286	−28.0%	22,141
2000	R	37.2%Gore5,746	60.9%Bush9,399	1.9%Buchanan290	−23.7%	15,435
1996	R	43.0%Clinton5,819	47.4%Dole6,416	9.6%Browne1,303	−4.4%	13,538
1992	R	38.1%Clinton5,007	41.2%Bush5,408	20.7%Perot2,720	−3.1%	13,135
1988	R	48.2%Dukakis5,687	51.3%Bush6,061	0.5%Paul62	−3.2%	11,810
1984	R	39.3%Mondale4,744	60.3%Reagan7,292	0.4%Serrette50	−21.1%	12,086
1980	R	32.2%Carter4,106	59.8%Reagan7,619	8.0%Anderson1,014	−27.6%	12,739
1976	R	47.2%Carter5,559	52.4%Ford6,176	0.4%Macbride47	−5.2%	11,782
1972	R	45.1%McGovern5,367	54.6%Nixon6,495	0.2%Schmitz27	−9.5%	11,889
1968	R	35.6%Humphrey3,967	60.0%Nixon6,700	4.4%Wallace491	−24.5%	11,158
1964	D	51.0%Johnson5,875	49.0%Goldwater5,645	0.0%	+2.0%	11,520
1960	R	35.4%Kennedy4,352	64.7%Nixon7,960	0.0%	−29.3%	12,311
1956	R	36.8%Stevenson4,595	63.2%Eisenhower7,887	0.0%	−26.4%	12,482
1952	R	23.0%Stevenson2,831	77.0%Eisenhower9,475	0.0%Hallinan1	−54.0%	12,307
1948	R	39.9%Truman4,138	59.2%Dewey6,139	0.9%Thurmond94	−19.3%	10,371
1944	R	34.0%Roosevelt3,689	66.0%Dewey7,163	0.0%	−32.0%	10,852
1940	R	34.4%Roosevelt4,767	65.6%Willkie9,085	0.0%	−31.2%	13,852
1936	D	48.1%Roosevelt6,691	44.3%Landon6,163	7.5%Lemke1,043	+3.8%	13,897
1932	D	62.2%Roosevelt7,508	36.5%Hoover4,402	1.3%Thomas161	+25.7%	12,071
1928	R	33.4%Smith3,574	66.2%Hoover7,086	0.4%Thomas44	−32.8%	10,704
1924	R	11.5%Davis1,007	44.9%Coolidge3,933	43.6%La Follette3,822	−33.4%	8,762
1920	R	16.9%Cox1,388	69.5%Harding5,703	13.6%Debs1,117	−52.6%	8,208
1916	R	42.3%Wilson2,522	54.9%Hughes3,277	2.8%Benson165	−12.7%	5,964
1912	O	33.7%Wilson1,938	0.0%Taft0	66.3%Roosevelt3,810	Roosevelt +32.6	5,748
1908	R	31.1%Bryan1,858	64.8%Taft3,876	4.1%Debs244	−33.8%	5,978
1904	R	18.0%Parker1,198	76.9%Roosevelt5,109	5.1%Debs341	−58.8%	6,648
1900	R	37.6%Bryan2,566	60.9%McKinley4,160	1.5%Woolley102	−23.3%	6,828
1896	R	45.5%Bryan2,850	53.9%McKinley3,374	0.6%Palmer39	−8.4%	6,263
1892	R	14.9%Cleveland673	52.5%Harrison2,367	32.6%Weaver1,469	−37.6%	4,509
1888	—	—	—	—	No data	—
1884	—	—	—	—	No data	—
1880	—	—	—	—	No data	—
1876	—	—	—	—	No data	—

presidential history

Presidential margin, 1892–2024

Democratic minus Republican, by election

Presidential margin over time
Year	Margin (D minus R)
1892	−37.6%
1896	−8.4%
1900	−23.3%
1904	−58.8%
1908	−33.8%
1912	+33.7%
1916	−12.7%
1920	−52.6%
1924	−33.4%
1928	−32.8%
1932	+25.7%
1936	+3.8%
1940	−31.2%
1944	−32.0%
1948	−19.3%
1952	−54.0%
1956	−26.4%
1960	−29.3%
1964	+2.0%
1968	−24.5%
1972	−9.5%
1976	−5.2%
1980	−27.6%
1984	−21.1%
1988	−3.2%
1992	−3.1%
1996	−4.4%
2000	−23.7%
2004	−28.0%
2008	−15.6%
2012	−26.3%
2016	−33.3%
2020	−28.2%
2024	−31.0%

DemocraticRepublican

current representation

Current officeholders

RKevin JensenState Senate · 16

State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.

Source · OpenStates current legislator CSV.

With a 2024 presidential margin of R+44.8, this sparsely populated district of roughly 24,000 residents reflects the heavily Republican tendencies common to rural Great Plains constituencies, where statewide Republican candidates consistently post commanding margins.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 33.7 points in 1912 and a Republican high of 58.8 points in 1904. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 2.9 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 31.0 points.

A population of 24,252, a 94% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $79,825 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State Senate District 6 and State Senate District 13.

Political twins — state-senate districts

The state-senate districts whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.

State Senate District 6

South Dakota

97.9twin score

population scale2012–2016 trajectory% unaffiliated

State Senate District 13

South Dakota

90.4twin score

population scaleelasticityNorwegian ancestry≠ % unaffiliated

State Senate District 22

Montana

87.9twin score

2012–2024 trajectory≠ Scottish ancestry

Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page

All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.

South Dakota 16th State Senate District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/46016/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

License: CC BY 4.0

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Places within South Dakota 16th State Senate District

counties it covers3

Lincoln County Turner County Union County

Frequently asked questions

How did South Dakota 16th State Senate District vote in 2024?

In 2024, South Dakota 16th State Senate District voted Republican by 31.0 points (R+31.0), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 38,522 votes cast, 12,869 went Democratic and 24,813 went Republican.

When did South Dakota 16th State Senate District last vote Democratic?

The most recent presidential election in which South Dakota 16th State Senate District voted Democratic was 1964.

How many people live in South Dakota 16th State Senate District?

South Dakota 16th State Senate District has a population of 24,252 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.

What is the median household income in South Dakota 16th State Senate District?

Median household income in South Dakota 16th State Senate District is $79,825 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Dakota state median is $75,081.

What is the political history of South Dakota 16th State Senate District?

Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in South Dakota 16th State Senate District from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 3 went Democratic and 30 went Republican.