Ottertail leans heavily Republican by roughly 42 points: about 29% of voters vote Democratic and 71% Republican.
About 78% of adults in Ottertail typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Ottertail, ~23% vote Democratic, ~56% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Ottertail compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Ottertail leans more Republican than 8 of 22 neighbors.
Ottertail runs about 46 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Ottertail is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Ottertail. The north side is the most Republican-leaning (R+53) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+35), a spread of about 19 points.
Why Ottertail leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Ottertail, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Ottertail votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Ottertail runs about 46 points more Republican.
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; Ottertail, MN sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Ottertail looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Ottertail 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 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Heinola, MN R+44
- Richville, MN R+41
- Perham, MN R+39
- New York Mills, MN R+53
- Dent, MN R+32
- Henning, MN R+47
- Battle Lake, MN R+33
- Deer Creek, MN R+54
- Vining, MN R+50
- Clitherall, MN R+46
Cities with Similar Populations
- Bunn, NC R+4
- Concho, AZ R+48
- Bull Shoals, AR R+44
- Avilla, AR R+63
- Edgemoor, SC R+53
- Wellington, TX R+50
- Badin, NC R+18
- Wappapello, MO R+67
- Coltman, ID R+71
- Hadley, MI R+37
All Local Stats
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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.