Grand Forks is a true toss-up. About 49% of voters here vote Democratic and 51% Republican.
About 66% of adults in Grand Forks typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Grand Forks, ~32% vote Democratic, ~34% Republican, and ~34% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Grand Forks compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Grand Forks sits roughly in the middle of the political spectrum, with 0 neighbors leaning further in the place's direction and 24 leaning the other way.
Grand Forks runs about 35 points more Democratic than North Dakota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Grand Forks. The northeast side runs the most Democratic (D+20) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+8), a spread of about 27 points.
Why Grand Forks leans the way it does
Density, race composition, education, and family structure all sit close to their national averages in Grand Forks. The lean here lands roughly where demographic data alone would predict.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Grand Forks, ND sits in the top 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 Grand Forks looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 96% of adults in Grand Forks have completed high school, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 90%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- East Grand Forks, MN R+26
- Grand Forks Air Force Base, ND R+45
- Thompson, ND R+44
- Emerado, ND R+46
- Manvel, ND R+48
- Fisher, MN R+54
- Grand Forks Afb, ND R+33
- Reynolds, ND R+43
- Tabor, MN R+51
- Sherack, MN R+52
Cities with Similar Populations
- Phenix City, AL R+3
- Vineland, NJ D+7
- Lenexa, KS D+12
- Coeur d'Alene, ID R+31
- Hempstead, NY D+56
- Pontiac, MI D+53
- Santee, CA R+9
- The Hammocks, FL R+22
- West Allis, WI D+14
- Brentwood, TN R+22
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.