East Tawas leans Republican by roughly 20 points: about 40% of voters vote Democratic and 60% Republican.
About 89% of adults in East Tawas typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in East Tawas, ~36% vote Democratic, ~53% Republican, and ~11% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How East Tawas compares
Among cities within 25 miles, East Tawas is the least Republican-leaning.
East Tawas runs about 19 points more Republican than Michigan as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within East Tawas. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+34) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+7), a spread of about 27 points.
Why East Tawas leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for East Tawas, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
East Tawas votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 32%, above 81% of cities). Here an older population outweighs the Democratic lean that density usually predicts.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; East Tawas, MI sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in East Tawas looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. East Tawas 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Tawas City, MI R+30
- White Rock, MI R+42
- Foote Site Village, MI R+35
- National City, MI R+38
- Oscoda, MI R+21
- Turner, MI R+44
- Whittemore, MI R+45
- Hale, MI R+35
- Greenbush, MI R+31
- Mikado, MI R+44
Cities with Similar Populations
- Kimberling City, MO R+43
- Fairbury, IL R+41
- Contoocook, NH D+13
- Galivants Ferry, SC R+69
- Washoe Valley, NV R+32
- Oxford, NJ R+28
- Newman Lake, WA R+35
- Medway, OH R+43
- Shady Cove, OR R+27
- Clearwater, KS R+52
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Michigan Department 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.