San Miguel County leans Democratic by roughly 24 points: about 62% of voters vote Democratic and 38% Republican.
About 61% of adults in San Miguel County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in San Miguel County, ~38% vote Democratic, ~23% Republican, and ~39% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How San Miguel County compares
San Miguel County sits in a sparsely populated area with few comparable counties nearby.
San Miguel County runs about 18 points more Democratic than New Mexico as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within San Miguel County. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+26) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+9), a spread of about 35 points.
Why San Miguel 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 San Miguel County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 38% of adults in San Miguel County have never been married, modestly above similar-sized counties (around 30%).
Food insecurity and voter turnout
Places with high food insecurity tend to turn out at a lower rate; San Miguel County, NM sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Food insecurity does not directly drive turnout; it reflects economic hardship, which lines up with lower voting.
Why turnout in San Miguel County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. San Miguel County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 24% of adults in San Miguel County report food insecurity, above 87% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Mora County, NM D+18
- Santa Fe County, NM D+45
- Guadalupe County, NM Even
- Los Alamos County, NM D+27
- Taos County, NM D+42
- Torrance County, NM R+36
- Rio Arriba County, NM D+20
- Harding County, NM R+37
- Sandoval County, NM D+4
- Bernalillo County, NM D+21
Counties with Similar Populations
- West Baton Rouge Parish, LA R+9
- Cibola County, NM D+10
- McDonough County, IL R+11
- Union County, SC R+28
- Fluvanna County, VA R+16
- Pike County, OH R+58
- Iroquois County, IL R+48
- White County, TN R+66
- Toombs County, GA R+34
- Tillamook County, OR R+9
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from New Mexico Secretary of State, Bureau of 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.