Mille Lacs County leans heavily Republican by roughly 42 points: about 29% of voters vote Democratic and 71% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Mille Lacs County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Mille Lacs County, ~23% vote Democratic, ~56% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Mille Lacs County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Mille Lacs County leans more Republican than 8 of 10 neighbors.
Mille Lacs County runs about 46 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Mille Lacs County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Mille Lacs County. The east side is the most Republican-leaning (R+59) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+21), a spread of about 37 points.
Why Mille Lacs 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 Mille Lacs County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Mille Lacs County votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Mille Lacs County runs about 46 points more Republican.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Mille Lacs County, MN sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Mille Lacs County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Mille Lacs 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 64%, above 75% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Kanabec County, MN R+44
- Isanti County, MN R+34
- Benton County, MN R+30
- Sherburne County, MN R+29
- Morrison County, MN R+53
- Pine County, MN R+37
- Stearns County, MN R+21
- Chisago County, MN R+29
- Wright County, MN R+28
- Anoka County, MN Even
Counties with Similar Populations
- Clay County, IN R+52
- Decatur County, IN R+54
- Grayson County, KY R+63
- Ashe County, NC R+47
- Lewis County, NY R+48
- Cass County, NE R+42
- Carter County, KY R+61
- Oceana County, MI R+28
- Geneva County, AL R+74
- Marlboro County, SC D+9
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.