Kelsey leans Republican by roughly 22 points: about 39% of voters vote Democratic and 61% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Kelsey typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Kelsey, ~27% vote Democratic, ~42% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Kelsey compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Kelsey leans more Republican than 20 of 36 neighbors.
Kelsey runs about 26 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Kelsey is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Kelsey. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+26) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+5), a spread of about 21 points.
Why Kelsey 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 Kelsey, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Kelsey votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Kelsey runs about 26 points more Republican. Rural areas vote Republican, and Kelsey sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 4%, below 85% of cities).
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Kelsey, MN sits in the bottom quarter 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 Kelsey looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Kelsey 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 65%, about 5 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 94% of households in Kelsey own their home, about 19 points above the U.S. average of 75%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Kelsey have completed high school, above 91% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Little Swan, MN R+26
- Toivola, MN R+27
- Silica, MN R+27
- Forbes, MN R+26
- Meadowlands, MN R+26
- Hibbing, MN R+2
- Zim, MN R+23
- Goodland, MN R+24
- Wilpen, MN R+17
- Wawina, MN R+27
Cities with Similar Populations
- Alton, KS R+79
- Martinsville, WI D+14
- Cutlips, WV R+62
- Saddle, AR R+65
- Maxville, WI R+37
- Sheltons, LA R+48
- Sheppard, AR R+41
- Coffman, MO R+58
- Struble, IA R+60
- Stotesbury, MO R+67
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Minnesota 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.