Mercer County is a Republican stronghold. About 18% of voters here vote Democratic and 82% Republican.
About 83% of adults in Mercer County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Mercer County, ~15% vote Democratic, ~68% Republican, and ~17% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Mercer County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Mercer County leans more Republican than 3 of 4 neighbors.
Mercer County runs about 28 points more Republican than North Dakota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Mercer County. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+76) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+62), a spread of about 14 points.
Why Mercer County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Mercer County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 86% of residents in Mercer County drive to work alone, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Homeownership and voter turnout
Places with homeowner-heavy households tend to turn out at a higher rate; Mercer County, ND sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Mercer County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Mercer County 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 63%, above 66% of counties. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 82% of households in Mercer County own their home, above 89% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Oliver County, ND R+67
- McLean County, ND R+51
- Dunn County, ND R+53
- Morton County, ND R+49
- Burleigh County, ND R+32
- Stark County, ND R+53
- Grant County, ND R+71
- Mountrail County, ND R+35
- Sheridan County, ND R+69
- Ward County, ND R+32
Counties with Similar Populations
- Coffey County, KS R+58
- Keith County, NE R+60
- Perry County, TN R+73
- Butler County, NE R+62
- Rosebud County, MT R+20
- Webster County, WV R+68
- Cedar County, NE R+67
- Custer County, SD R+53
- Tyler County, WV R+61
- Nevada County, AR R+27
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from North Dakota 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.