| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | D | 1,570 | 497 | 2,126 | |
| 2020 | D | 1,963 | 532 | 2,539 | |
| 2016 | D | 1,505 | 487 | 2,125 | |
| 2012 | D | 1,976 | 498 | 2,497 | |
| 2008 | D | 2,208 | 571 | 2,828 | |
| 2004 | D | 2,543 | 889 | 3,524 | |
| 2000 | R | 478 | 993 | 1,494 | |
| 1996 | D | 1,380 | 482 | 1,991 | |
| 1992 | D | 915 | 456 | 1,630 | |
| 1988 | D | 1,117 | 535 | 1,676 | |
| 1984 | D | 1,022 | 679 | 1,714 | |
| 1980 | D | 972 | 803 | 1,923 | |
| 1976 | D | 826 | 583 | 1,434 | |
| 1972 | D | 907 | 806 | 1,723 | |
| 1968 | D | 987 | 683 | 1,761 | |
| 1964 | D | 1,274 | 723 | 1,997 | |
| 1960 | R | 904 | 909 | 1,813 | |
| 1956 | D | 833 | 748 | 1,581 | |
| 1952 | R | 611 | 1,025 | 1,636 | |
| 1948 | D | 796 | 625 | 1,438 | |
| 1944 | R | 683 | 737 | 1,420 | |
| 1940 | R | 1,238 | 1,245 | 2,483 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,318 | 624 | 1,966 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,485 | 533 | 2,034 | |
| 1928 | D | 831 | 789 | 1,629 | |
| 1924 | R | 237 | 837 | 1,249 | |
| 1920 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1916 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1912 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Todd County is coextensive with the Rosebud Sioux Reservation, and its electorate—overwhelmingly Native American—has delivered Democratic presidential margins exceeding 50 points even as South Dakota votes reliably Republican statewide.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Todd County peaked at fifty-nine points in 2012; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2004 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of forty-seven points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Todd County's median household income of $42,075 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 48% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Orange County and Edgecombe County.