Dawson County is a Republican stronghold. About 23% of voters here vote Democratic and 77% Republican.
About 94% of adults in Dawson County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Dawson County, ~22% vote Democratic, ~72% Republican, and ~6% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Dawson County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Dawson County is the least Republican-leaning.
Dawson County runs about 35 points more Republican than Montana as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Dawson County. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+76) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+48), a spread of about 28 points.
Why Dawson 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 Dawson County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 83% of residents in Dawson County drive to work alone, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Food insecurity and voter turnout
Places with low food insecurity tend to turn out at a higher rate; Dawson County, MT sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Food insecurity does not directly drive turnout; it reflects economic hardship, which lines up with lower voting.
Why turnout in Dawson County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Dawson 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 67%, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 94% of adults in Dawson County have completed high school, above 81% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Wibaux County, MT R+75
- Prairie County, MT R+68
- Golden Valley County, ND R+69
- Richland County, MT R+62
- McCone County, MT R+72
- Fallon County, MT R+71
- Billings County, ND R+67
- Custer County, MT R+43
- Roosevelt County, MT Even
- Slope County, ND R+74
Counties with Similar Populations
- Richmond County, VA R+33
- Stillwater County, MT R+57
- Phelps County, NE R+58
- Catahoula Parish, LA R+50
- Kemper County, MS D+23
- Mitchell County, TX R+50
- Crittenden County, KY R+68
- Livingston County, KY R+64
- Palo Alto County, IA R+44
- Wilkinson County, GA R+22
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.