Elk River, MN Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Elk River

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Elk River leans Republican by roughly 18 points: about 41% of voters vote Democratic and 59% Republican.

 

About 98% of adults in Elk River typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Elk River, ~40% vote Democratic, ~58% Republican, and ~2% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Elk River compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Elk River leans more Republican than 34 of 72 neighbors.

Elk River runs about 23 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Elk River is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Elk River. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+34) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+8), a spread of about 26 points.

Why Elk River 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 Elk River, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Elk River votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 50%, well above the Minnesota average of 23%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Elk River runs against the grain of Minnesota, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.

Preventive-care access and voter turnout

Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Elk River, MN 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 Elk River looks the way it does

Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Elk River 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.

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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.