Brookings, SD County is home to a large and diverse population. As the county seat, Brookings' local politics are at the center of decision-making for the entire region. The county is currently run by a five-member county board of commissioners who are elected by the people of Brookings. These commissioners oversee the budgeting process for all departments in the county, as well as appoint representatives to serve on various boards and committees. In addition, the city of Brookings has its own mayor and city council members who are also elected by local citizens. It is important that those living in Brookings stay informed about their local politicians and candidates before voting in any election. With so much at stake for residents of Brookings County, it is essential that everyone stays informed and involved in their local politics.
The political climate in Brookings County, SD is somewhat conservative.
In Brookings County, SD 41.9% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 54.9% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 3.1% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Brookings county remained strongly Republican, 54.9% to 41.9%.
Brookings county voted Republican in five of the last six Presidential elections (2008 went Democratic).
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Brookings County, SD is somewhat conservative.
Brookings Metro Area is somewhat conservative.
South Dakota is strongly conservative.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index is based on recent voting in national elections, federal campaign contributions by local residents, and consumer personality profiles.
VoteWord™
Displaying 20 years of Presidential voting, visualized in one word.
Brookings, South Dakota: R R d r R R
How It Works:
Here at BestPlaces, we were looking at the voting patterns since the 2000 election and realized that we could express the results of each election as one letter. R if the Republican Party candidate won, D for the Democrat and I for the Independent. The six elections (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) would be expressed as six-letter word (R R D R R).
Then we went a little further and added the dimension of magnitude. If the difference of victory was greater than 10 percent, the letter is upper case, and lower case if the difference was less than 10 percent. This allows us to see interesting voting patterns at just a glance.
Here's the VoteWord for Iowa d r d d r. In the last six elections the state has been closely contested, voting narrowly for the Republican Party candidate in 2016 and 2020 after voting for the Democratic Party in 2008 and 2012. Virginia (r r d d d D) has voted for the Democratic Party in the last three elections.
Individual Campaign Contributions in Brookings County, SD
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 1,402 contributions totaling $111,471 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $80 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 380 contributions totaling $181,006 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $476 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)