Shafer leans heavily Republican by roughly 36 points: about 32% of voters vote Democratic and 68% Republican.
About 70% of adults in Shafer typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Shafer, ~22% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~30% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Shafer compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Shafer leans more Republican than 48 of 66 neighbors.
Shafer runs about 40 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Shafer is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Shafer 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 Shafer, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Shafer votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Shafer runs about 40 points more Republican.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Shafer, MN sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Shafer looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Shafer 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 91% of households in Shafer own their home, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 75%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Shafer have completed high school, above 86% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Taylors Falls, MN R+32
- Lindstrom, MN R+24
- Center City, MN R+28
- Dresser, WI R+33
- Osceola, WI R+32
- Chisago City, MN R+21
- St. Croix Falls, WI R+33
- Nye, WI R+37
- Sand Lake, WI R+31
- Scandia, MN R+20
Cities with Similar Populations
- Plantersville, MS R+41
- Dubach, LA R+54
- Middle Grove, NY R+16
- Stateline, NV D+4
- Fisher, IL R+47
- Twin Peaks, CA R+23
- Seaside Heights, NJ R+8
- Carrington, ND R+47
- Walpole, NH R+12
- Woodbury, GA R+14
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.