Cottonwood County leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 70% of adults in Cottonwood County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Cottonwood County, ~19% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~30% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Cottonwood County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Cottonwood County leans more Republican than 8 of 11 neighbors.
Cottonwood County runs about 50 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Cottonwood County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Cottonwood County. The north side is the most Republican-leaning (R+67) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+33), a spread of about 35 points.
Why Cottonwood 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 Cottonwood County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Cottonwood County votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Cottonwood County runs about 50 points more Republican.
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; Cottonwood County, MN sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Cottonwood County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Cottonwood 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 62%, above 64% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 94% of adults in Cottonwood County have completed high school, above 86% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Jackson County, MN R+42
- Watonwan County, MN R+29
- Murray County, MN R+54
- Nobles County, MN R+28
- Redwood County, MN R+47
- Brown County, MN R+37
- Martin County, MN R+38
- Dickinson County, IA R+34
- Emmet County, IA R+37
- Osceola County, IA R+57
Counties with Similar Populations
- Big Horn County, WY R+73
- Perry County, MS R+58
- Charlotte County, VA R+31
- Rio Grande County, CO R+22
- Richland County, MT R+62
- Haskell County, OK R+69
- Sierra County, NM R+17
- Douglas County, MO R+70
- Red River County, TX R+51
- Fergus County, MT R+50
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.