Traverse City, MI Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Traverse City

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Traverse City is a true toss-up. About 52% of voters here vote Democratic and 48% Republican.

 

About 96% of adults in Traverse City typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Traverse City, ~50% vote Democratic, ~46% Republican, and ~4% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Traverse City compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Traverse City leans more Democratic than 39 of 45 neighbors.

Traverse City runs about 5 points more Democratic than Michigan as a whole.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Traverse City. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+32) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+12), a spread of about 44 points.

Why Traverse City leans the way it does

Density, race composition, education, and family structure all sit close to their national averages in Traverse City. The lean here lands roughly where demographic data alone would predict.

Walkability and Democratic lean

Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Traverse City, MI sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.

Why turnout in Traverse City looks the way it does

Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Traverse City 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 73%, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Traverse City have completed high school, above 83% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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.