Gilchrist leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 62% of adults in Gilchrist typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Gilchrist, ~17% vote Democratic, ~45% Republican, and ~38% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Gilchrist compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Gilchrist leans more Republican than 14 of 16 neighbors.
Gilchrist runs about 44 points more Republican than Michigan as a whole.
Why Gilchrist 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 Gilchrist, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 2% of residents in Gilchrist live in densely developed areas, about 29 points below the Michigan average of 31%.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Gilchrist, MI sits in the bottom tenth 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 Gilchrist looks the way it does
Areas with high food insecurity turn out at lower rates. About 20% of adults in Gilchrist report food insecurity, above 82% of cities. Strong routine healthcare access lines up with higher turnout, and Gilchrist sits in the top quarter on routine-care measures. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Naubinway, MI R+42
- Engadine, MI R+43
- Roberts Corners, MI R+39
- McLeods Corner, MI R+39
- Dollarville, MI R+28
- Curtis, MI R+40
- Newberry, MI R+22
- Gould City, MI R+39
- Mc Millan, MI R+44
Cities with Similar Populations
- Thompsonville, TX R+21
- Alamo, ND R+77
- Union Valley, NY R+45
- Athens, MS R+76
- Richardson, KY R+77
- Melrose, AL R+16
- Twomile, OR R+9
- Cazy, WV R+66
- Lodgepole, SD R+70
- Windham, MT R+63
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.