Lansing leans heavily Democratic by roughly 38 points: about 69% of voters vote Democratic and 31% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Lansing typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Lansing, ~49% vote Democratic, ~22% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Lansing compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Lansing leans more Democratic than 47 of 49 neighbors.
Lansing runs about 39 points more Democratic than Michigan as a whole. Michigan is roughly evenly split, and Lansing sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Lansing. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+50) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+25), a spread of about 25 points.
Why Lansing 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 Lansing, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 91% of residents in Lansing live in densely developed areas, about 54 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 44% of adults in Lansing have never been married, above 96% of cities. Lansing runs against the grain of Michigan, a Democratic-leaning outlier in a roughly evenly split state.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Lansing, MI sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Lansing looks the way it does
Turnout in Lansing sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Waverly, MI D+25
- East Lansing, MI D+52
- Holt, MI D+15
- Dimondale, MI R+6
- Okemos, MI D+42
- Haslett, MI D+31
- Dewitt, MI Even
- Grand Ledge, MI R+4
- Bath, MI R+4
- West Windsor, MI R+16
Cities with Similar Populations
- Elizabeth, NJ D+17
- Hampton, VA D+39
- Denton, TX D+9
- Murrieta, CA R+14
- Fullerton, CA D+11
- Lakewood, NJ R+74
- West Valley City, UT D+8
- York, PA D+4
- Olympia, WA D+31
- Miramar, FL D+37
All Local Stats
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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.