Kalkaska County leans heavily Republican by roughly 42 points: about 29% of voters vote Democratic and 71% Republican.
About 82% of adults in Kalkaska County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Kalkaska County, ~24% vote Democratic, ~59% Republican, and ~17% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Kalkaska County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Kalkaska County leans more Republican than 9 of 11 neighbors.
Kalkaska County runs about 40 points more Republican than Michigan as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Kalkaska County. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+50) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+32), a spread of about 18 points.
Why Kalkaska 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 Kalkaska County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Kalkaska County, about 93% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 20 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 18% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 8 points below the Michigan average of 26%.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Kalkaska County, MI sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Kalkaska County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Kalkaska 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 64%, above 73% of counties. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 88% of households in Kalkaska County own their home, in the top fraction of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Antrim County, MI R+21
- Grand Traverse County, MI R+3
- Crawford County, MI R+31
- Missaukee County, MI R+49
- Leelanau County, MI Even
- Otsego County, MI R+28
- Wexford County, MI R+33
- Roscommon County, MI R+26
- Charlevoix County, MI R+19
- Benzie County, MI R+10
Counties with Similar Populations
- Bertie County, NC D+19
- Johnson County, TN R+67
- Unicoi County, TN R+57
- Grant County, AR R+71
- Madison County, FL R+18
- Benzie County, MI R+10
- Schuyler County, NY R+23
- Attala County, MS R+13
- Russell County, KY R+67
- Southampton County, VA R+22
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.