59846 leans Republican by roughly 30 points: about 35% of voters vote Democratic and 65% Republican.
About 85% of adults in 59846 typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 59846, ~30% vote Democratic, ~55% Republican, and ~15% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 59846 compares
59846 sits in a sparsely populated area with few comparable zip codes nearby.
59846 runs about 9 points more Republican than Montana as a whole.
Why 59846 leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per zip code to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for 59846, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 3% of residents in 59846 live in densely developed areas, about 10 points below the Montana average of 13%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 80% of households in 59846 are family households, above 91% of zip codes.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; 59846, MT sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in 59846 looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. 59846 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 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 97% of households in 59846 own their home, compared to around 67% in nearby zip codes. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in 59846 have completed high school, above 94% of zip codes. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Zip Codes
Zip Codes with Similar Populations
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Montana 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.