Norman County leans Republican by roughly 28 points: about 36% of voters vote Democratic and 64% Republican.
About 64% of adults in Norman County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Norman County, ~23% vote Democratic, ~41% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Norman County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Norman County leans more Republican than 3 of 7 neighbors.
Norman County runs about 32 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Norman County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Norman County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+42) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+21), a spread of about 21 points.
Why Norman 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 Norman County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 9% of residents in Norman County live in densely developed areas, about 15 points below the Minnesota average of 23%. Norman County runs against the grain of Minnesota, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Norman County, MN sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Norman County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Norman 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 65%, above 77% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 94% of adults in Norman County have completed high school, above 81% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Mahnomen County, MN R+16
- Clay County, MN R+3
- Polk County, MN R+31
- Cass County, ND R+5
- Traill County, ND R+37
- Red Lake County, MN R+47
- Becker County, MN R+33
- Grand Forks County, ND R+8
- Clearwater County, MN R+46
- Pennington County, MN R+32
Counties with Similar Populations
- Randolph County, GA D+3
- Moore County, TN R+69
- Howard County, NE R+64
- Treutlen County, GA R+35
- Dallas County, AR R+18
- Henderson County, IL R+41
- Wayne County, IA R+56
- Bottineau County, ND R+50
- Ellsworth County, KS R+56
- Wilkin County, MN R+39
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.