Golden Valley County is a Republican stronghold. About 15% of voters here vote Democratic and 85% Republican.
About 67% of adults in Golden Valley County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Golden Valley County, ~10% vote Democratic, ~57% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Golden Valley County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Golden Valley County leans more Republican than 2 of 5 neighbors.
Golden Valley County runs about 33 points more Republican than North Dakota as a whole.
Why Golden Valley 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 Golden Valley County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 3% of residents in Golden Valley County live in densely developed areas, about 9 points below the North Dakota average of 12%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 72% of households in Golden Valley County are family households, above 86% of counties.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Golden Valley County, ND sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Golden Valley County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Golden Valley 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 63%, above 67% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Golden Valley County have completed high school, above 98% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Wibaux County, MT R+75
- Billings County, ND R+67
- Fallon County, MT R+71
- Dawson County, MT R+55
- Slope County, ND R+74
- Stark County, ND R+53
- Bowman County, ND R+65
- Richland County, MT R+62
- Prairie County, MT R+68
- Dunn County, ND R+53
Counties with Similar Populations
- McCone County, MT R+72
- Cheyenne County, CO R+72
- Hodgeman County, KS R+77
- Oldham County, TX R+80
- Dickens County, TX R+72
- De Baca County, NM R+35
- Powder River County, MT R+72
- Comanche County, KS R+73
- Steele County, ND R+33
- Jerauld County, SD R+48
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from North Dakota 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.