Cass County leans heavily Republican by roughly 30 points: about 35% of voters vote Democratic and 65% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Cass County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Cass County, ~25% vote Democratic, ~46% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Cass County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Cass County leans more Republican than 1 of 4 neighbors.
Cass County runs about 35 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Cass County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Cass County. The northwest side runs the most Democratic (D+8) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+56), a spread of about 64 points.
Why Cass County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Cass County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Cass County votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Cass County runs about 35 points more Republican. Rural areas vote Republican, and Cass County sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 6%, below 91% of counties).
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Cass County, MN sits in the bottom quarter 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 Cass County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Cass County 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 64%, above 73% of counties. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 85% of households in Cass County own their home, above 96% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 94% of adults in Cass County have completed high school, above 84% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Crow Wing County, MN R+29
- Hubbard County, MN R+30
- Wadena County, MN R+49
- Aitkin County, MN R+33
- Itasca County, MN R+22
- Todd County, MN R+50
- Beltrami County, MN R+4
- Morrison County, MN R+53
- Becker County, MN R+33
- Clearwater County, MN R+46
Counties with Similar Populations
- Door County, WI R+3
- Madison County, GA R+55
- Meade County, KY R+49
- Wayne County, GA R+52
- Randolph County, IL R+45
- Austin County, TX R+54
- Knox County, KY R+65
- Haralson County, GA R+73
- McPherson County, KS R+44
- Caledonia County, VT R+9
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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.