Sylvan Lake leans slightly Democratic by roughly 10 points: about 55% of voters vote Democratic and 45% Republican.
About 85% of adults in Sylvan Lake typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sylvan Lake, ~47% vote Democratic, ~38% Republican, and ~15% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sylvan Lake compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Sylvan Lake leans more Democratic than 56 of 90 neighbors.
Sylvan Lake runs about 12 points more Democratic than Michigan as a whole. Michigan is roughly evenly split, and Sylvan Lake sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Why Sylvan Lake 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 Sylvan Lake, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 70% of residents in Sylvan Lake live in densely developed areas, about 34 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Sylvan Lake sits in the top quarter (about 47%, above 92% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 32% of adults in Sylvan Lake have never been married, above 82% of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Sylvan Lake, MI sits in the top tenth 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 Sylvan Lake looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Sylvan Lake 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 75%, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and more than 99% of adults in Sylvan Lake have completed high school, in the top fraction of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Keego Harbor, MI D+8
- Orchard Lake Village, MI R+7
- Pontiac, MI D+53
- Waterford, MI R+6
- Bloomfield Hills, MI D+13
- West Bloomfield, MI D+14
- Lake Angelus, MI R+19
- Auburn Hills, MI D+23
- Franklin, MI D+19
- Bingham Farms, MI D+26
Cities with Similar Populations
- Taylor Springs, IL R+21
- Jones Creek, TX R+56
- Danbury, WI R+30
- Paul, ID R+67
- Wagner, SD R+19
- King William, VA R+41
- Montgomery, IN R+69
- Enterprise, OR R+12
- Ware, AL R+48
- Chatham, MA D+31
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Michigan Department 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.