Otter Tail County leans heavily Republican by roughly 36 points: about 32% of voters vote Democratic and 68% Republican.
About 81% of adults in Otter Tail County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Otter Tail County, ~26% vote Democratic, ~55% Republican, and ~19% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Otter Tail County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Otter Tail County leans more Republican than 1 of 7 neighbors.
Otter Tail County runs about 39 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Otter Tail County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Otter Tail County. The east side is the most Republican-leaning (R+50) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+23), a spread of about 27 points.
Why Otter Tail 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 Otter Tail County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Otter Tail County votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Otter Tail County runs about 39 points more Republican.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Otter Tail County, MN sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Otter Tail County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Otter Tail 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%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 80% of households in Otter Tail County own their home, above 81% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 94% of adults in Otter Tail County have completed high school, above 87% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Becker County, MN R+33
- Grant County, MN R+36
- Wilkin County, MN R+39
- Wadena County, MN R+49
- Douglas County, MN R+36
- Richland County, ND R+38
- Todd County, MN R+50
- Clay County, MN R+3
- Pope County, MN R+38
- Stevens County, MN R+37
Counties with Similar Populations
- Crawford County, AR R+54
- Herkimer County, NY R+29
- Bradford County, PA R+49
- Pender County, NC R+33
- Washington County, VT D+19
- Washington County, OH R+42
- Mercer County, WV R+50
- Pittsylvania County, VA R+39
- Rutland County, VT R+9
- Lincoln County, MO R+51
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.