Nelson County leans heavily Republican by roughly 42 points: about 29% of voters vote Democratic and 71% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Nelson County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Nelson County, ~21% vote Democratic, ~50% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Nelson County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Nelson County leans more Republican than 3 of 7 neighbors.
Nelson County runs about 6 points more Republican than North Dakota as a whole.
Why Nelson 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 Nelson County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. Nelson County sits in the bottom quarter on density and about 92% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 19 points above the U.S. average of 72%.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Nelson County, ND sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Nelson County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Nelson 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 67%, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Griggs County, ND R+52
- Ramsey County, ND R+30
- Steele County, ND R+33
- Eddy County, ND R+46
- Benson County, ND D+2
- Walsh County, ND R+46
- Foster County, ND R+50
- Grand Forks County, ND R+8
- Traill County, ND R+37
- Cavalier County, ND R+48
Counties with Similar Populations
- Bowman County, ND R+65
- Fallon County, MT R+71
- Stanley County, SD R+49
- Lipscomb County, TX R+84
- Sherman County, NE R+64
- Harlan County, NE R+69
- Rush County, KS R+62
- Lincoln County, KS R+67
- Jewell County, KS R+73
- Crockett County, TX R+39
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.