Southeast leans Democratic by roughly 22 points: about 61% of voters vote Democratic and 39% Republican.
About 92% of adults in Southeast typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Southeast, ~56% vote Democratic, ~36% Republican, and ~8% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Southeast compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Southeast leans more Democratic than 2 of 5 neighbors.
Southeast runs about 42 points more Democratic than Montana as a whole. Montana leans Republican overall, while Southeast is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Southeast. The west side runs the most Democratic (D+31) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+2), a spread of about 34 points.
Why Southeast leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Southeast, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Southeast votes against the grain of Montana. Montana leans Republican overall, while Southeast runs about 42 points more Democratic. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Southeast sits in the top quarter (about 57%, above 78% of neighborhoods).
High-school completion, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine high-school-completion-heavy adults and a rural land-use pattern tend to turn out at a higher rate, as Southeast, Helena, MT does.
Why turnout in Southeast looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Southeast 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 72%, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Rancho El Dorado, Silver Bell, AZ R+6
- Normandy Isles, North Bay Village, FL R+4
- Nevin Community, Charlotte, NC D+67
- Greenwood Forest, Houston, TX D+11
- Little Italy, San Diego, CA D+40
- Kashmere Gardens, Houston, TX D+70
- Pocono Farms, Tobyhanna, PA D+28
- Center Bluff, Peoria, IL D+47
- Valencia, Buckeye, AZ R+14
- Mount Hope, Providence, RI D+74
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Montana 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.