Bena is a true toss-up. About 50% of voters here vote Democratic and 50% Republican.
About 48% of adults in Bena typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Bena, ~24% vote Democratic, ~24% Republican, and ~52% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Bena compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Bena sits roughly in the middle of the political spectrum, with 16 neighbors leaning further in the place's direction and 2 leaning the other way.
Politically, Bena sits close to the rest of Minnesota.
Why Bena leans the way it does
Density, race composition, education, and family structure all sit close to their national averages in Bena. The lean here lands roughly where demographic data alone would predict.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with low colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Bena, MN sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Bena looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Bena is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 46%, about 20 points below the Minnesota average of 66%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 32% of adults in Bena report food insecurity, above 96% of cities. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Bena sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Schley, MN Even
- Federal Dam, MN R+29
- Ball Club, MN R+25
- Boy River, MN R+36
- Inger, MN R+19
- Pennington, MN Even
- Cass Lake, MN D+24
- Deer River, MN R+24
- Squaw Lake, MN R+19
- Zemple, MN R+27
Cities with Similar Populations
- Lewis, WI R+33
- Limekiln, PA R+25
- Etowah, AR R+59
- Norfield, MS R+77
- Seneca, OR R+53
- Harris, OK R+48
- Dot, KY R+65
- West Sweden, WI R+36
- Sartinsville, MS R+57
- Twodot, MT R+68
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Minnesota 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.