Gilford is a Republican stronghold. About 24% of voters here vote Democratic and 76% Republican.
About 73% of adults in Gilford typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Gilford, ~17% vote Democratic, ~56% Republican, and ~27% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Gilford compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Gilford leans more Republican than 55 of 57 neighbors.
Gilford runs about 50 points more Republican than Michigan as a whole.
Why Gilford 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 Gilford, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 88% of residents in Gilford drive to work alone, about 14 points above the U.S. average of 74%. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Gilford sits in the bottom quarter (about 13%, below 84% of cities). A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 83% of households in Gilford are family households, above 95% of cities.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Gilford, MI sits below the national average on this measure.
Why turnout in Gilford looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 95% of households in Gilford own their home, about 13 points above the Michigan average of 83%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Reese, MI R+41
- Fairgrove, MI R+48
- Bradleyville, MI R+48
- Munger, MI R+39
- Richville, MI R+38
- Quanicassee, MI R+35
- Watrousville, MI R+47
- Akron, MI R+45
- Wisner, MI R+46
- Gera, MI R+38
Cities with Similar Populations
- Creeksville, NC R+25
- Zion Station, KY R+64
- Seneca, WI R+29
- Cale, AR R+55
- Cottonwood, OK R+69
- Carbon Hill, IL R+34
- Kralltown, PA R+56
- North Bradford, ME R+37
- Curry, LA R+68
- Grays Knob, KY R+76
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.