Makinen leans slightly Republican by roughly 6 points: about 47% of voters vote Democratic and 53% Republican.
About 56% of adults in Makinen typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Makinen, ~26% vote Democratic, ~30% Republican, and ~44% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Makinen compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Makinen leans more Republican than 10 of 34 neighbors.
Makinen runs about 10 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Makinen. The northwest side is the most split-leaning (R+13) and the east side is the least split-leaning (R+2), a spread of about 11 points.
Why Makinen 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 Makinen, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 2% of residents in Makinen live in densely developed areas, about 21 points below the Minnesota average of 23%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Makinen, MN 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 Makinen looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Makinen 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Markham, MN Even
- Melrude, MN R+4
- Palo, MN R+25
- Gilbert, MN R+17
- Genoa, MN R+18
- Eveleth, MN R+5
- Aurora, MN R+14
- Zim, MN R+23
- McKinley, MN Even
- Cotton, MN R+4
Cities with Similar Populations
- Fort Ritner, IN R+54
- Qualls, OK R+39
- Moorheadville, PA R+19
- Selfs, TX R+77
- Piasa, IL R+53
- Locust Hill, NC R+22
- Tierra Amarilla, NM D+3
- Skellytown, TX R+86
- Lawson, VA R+18
- Rochester, KY R+64
All Local Stats
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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.