Johannesburg leans heavily Republican by roughly 40 points: about 30% of voters vote Democratic and 70% Republican.
About 86% of adults in Johannesburg typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Johannesburg, ~26% vote Democratic, ~60% Republican, and ~14% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Johannesburg compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Johannesburg leans more Republican than 10 of 20 neighbors.
Johannesburg runs about 39 points more Republican than Michigan as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Johannesburg. The north side is the most Republican-leaning (R+47) and the southeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+34), a spread of about 13 points.
Why Johannesburg 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 Johannesburg, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. Johannesburg sits in the bottom quarter on density and about 96% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 13 points above the Michigan average of 83%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Johannesburg, MI sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Johannesburg looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Johannesburg 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 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 91% of households in Johannesburg own their home, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Sparr, MI R+42
- Lewiston, MI R+36
- Lovells, MI R+40
- Gaylord, MI R+24
- Oak Grove, MI R+17
- Atlanta, MI R+41
- Waters, MI R+37
- Otsego Lake, MI R+30
- Eyedylwild Beach, MI R+35
- Vanderbilt, MI R+44
Cities with Similar Populations
- Stoneboro, PA R+52
- Fairfield, VA R+37
- Malta, TX R+77
- Marbury, AL R+71
- Webster Springs, WV R+67
- Gaston, IN R+49
- Cusseta, AL R+45
- Startzville, TX R+41
- Pleasant Plain, OH R+67
- South Greensburg, PA R+19
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.