Sleepy Eye leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Sleepy Eye typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sleepy Eye, ~19% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sleepy Eye compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Sleepy Eye leans more Republican than 8 of 32 neighbors.
Sleepy Eye runs about 51 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Sleepy Eye is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Sleepy Eye. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+71) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+38), a spread of about 33 points.
Why Sleepy Eye 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 Sleepy Eye, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 86% of residents in Sleepy Eye drive to work alone, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 74%. Sleepy Eye runs against the grain of Minnesota, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Sleepy Eye, MN sits above the national average 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 Sleepy Eye looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Sleepy Eye 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 65%, about 5 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Searles, MN R+52
- Essig, MN R+60
- Leavenworth, MN R+54
- Evan, MN R+67
- St. George, MN R+47
- Godahl, MN R+49
- Springfield, MN R+51
- New Ulm, MN R+28
- Morgan, MN R+54
Cities with Similar Populations
- Lancaster, VA R+15
- South Charleston, OH R+56
- Stockton, NJ Even
- Clarksville, OH R+63
- Galliano, LA R+79
- Stillman Valley, IL R+33
- Laurel Hill, NC R+34
- Wintersville, OH R+28
- Leonard, TX R+65
- La Salle, MI R+40
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.