Lake Leelanau is a true toss-up. About 49% of voters here vote Democratic and 51% Republican.
About 90% of adults in Lake Leelanau typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Lake Leelanau, ~44% vote Democratic, ~46% Republican, and ~10% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Lake Leelanau compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Lake Leelanau sits roughly in the middle of the political spectrum, with 12 neighbors leaning further in the place's direction and 21 leaning the other way.
Politically, Lake Leelanau sits close to the rest of Michigan.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Lake Leelanau. The northeast side runs the most Democratic (D+17) and the west side runs the most Republican (R+11), a spread of about 28 points.
Why Lake Leelanau leans the way it does
Density, race composition, education, and family structure all sit close to their national averages in Lake Leelanau. The lean here lands roughly where demographic data alone would predict.
High-school completion, uninsured rate, and voter turnout
Places that combine high-school-completion-heavy adults and a low uninsured rate tend to turn out at a higher rate, as Lake Leelanau, MI does.
Why turnout in Lake Leelanau looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Lake Leelanau 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 76%, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 90% of households in Lake Leelanau own their home, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 75%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Lake Leelanau have completed high school, above 95% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Leland, MI R+7
- Suttons Bay, MI D+9
- Isadore, MI R+4
- Glen Haven, MI Even
- Omena, MI D+8
- Cedar, MI R+5
- Old Mission, MI D+25
- Maple City, MI R+10
- Solon, MI R+5
- Northport, MI D+10
Cities with Similar Populations
- Port Republic, NJ R+18
- Roman Forest, TX R+45
- Lake Hamilton, FL R+17
- Townsville, NC D+8
- Labadie, MO R+48
- Augusta, AR R+18
- Pine Grove, GA R+72
- Silver Lake, MN R+55
- Uniontown, KY R+63
- Millville, DE R+7
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.