Pelican Rapids leans Republican by roughly 22 points: about 39% of voters vote Democratic and 61% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Pelican Rapids typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Pelican Rapids, ~31% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Pelican Rapids compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Pelican Rapids is the least Republican-leaning.
Pelican Rapids runs about 26 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Pelican Rapids is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Pelican Rapids. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+31) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+18), a spread of about 13 points.
Why Pelican Rapids 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 Pelican Rapids, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Pelican Rapids votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Pelican Rapids runs about 26 points more Republican.
Non-English at home and voter turnout
Places with a low non-English-at-home share tend to turn out at a higher rate; Pelican Rapids, MN sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Pelican Rapids looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Pelican Rapids 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 61%, about 6 points below the Minnesota average of 66%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Erhard, MN R+42
- Lake Eunice, MN R+36
- Vergas, MN R+32
- Rothsay, MN R+42
- Rollag, MN R+27
- Elizabeth, MN R+39
- Dent, MN R+32
- Shoreham, MN R+32
- Audubon, MN R+40
- Lake Park, MN R+35
Cities with Similar Populations
- Lincolnton, GA R+33
- Webster, FL R+50
- Fredericksburg, OH R+73
- Huntsville, AR R+59
- Weaver, AL R+54
- Science Hill, KY R+65
- Grafton, WV R+51
- Westover, MD R+4
- Mickleton, NJ R+16
- Wyoming, PA R+16
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.