Melby leans heavily Republican by roughly 48 points: about 26% of voters vote Democratic and 74% Republican.
About 75% of adults in Melby typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Melby, ~20% vote Democratic, ~55% Republican, and ~25% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Melby compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Melby leans more Republican than 21 of 28 neighbors.
Melby runs about 53 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Melby is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Melby. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+53) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+39), a spread of about 15 points.
Why Melby 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 Melby, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Melby votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Melby runs about 53 points more Republican. Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. Non-Hispanic white share in Melby is about 97%, well above similar-sized cities (around 74%).
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Melby, MN sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Melby looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Melby 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
- Ashby, MN R+38
- Evansville, MN R+51
- Millerville, MN R+51
- Erdahl, MN R+39
- Urbank, MN R+43
- Brandon, MN R+47
- Dalton, MN R+43
- Clitherall, MN R+46
- Leaf Valley, MN R+49
- Garfield, MN R+39
Cities with Similar Populations
- Bolling, AL R+63
- Boone, OK R+57
- Palo Alto, TX R+26
- Stull, KS R+13
- Sandy Lane, TN R+74
- Sebrell, VA R+33
- Gethsemane, NC D+23
- Littleton, IA R+43
- Bridgewater Center, OH R+62
- Luthers Mills, PA R+53
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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.