Traverse County, MN Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Traverse County

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

Traverse County leans heavily Republican by roughly 42 points: about 29% of voters vote Democratic and 71% Republican.

 

About 80% of adults in Traverse County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Traverse County, ~23% vote Democratic, ~57% Republican, and ~20% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Traverse County compares

Among counties within 50 miles, Traverse County leans more Republican than 6 of 7 neighbors.

Traverse County runs about 46 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Traverse County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.

Politics vary noticeably by city within Traverse County. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+56) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+41), a spread of about 15 points.

Why Traverse County leans the way it does

This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Traverse County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Traverse County votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Traverse County runs about 46 points more Republican. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Traverse County sits in the bottom quarter (about 16%, below 81% of counties).

Preventive-care access and voter turnout

Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Traverse County, 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 Traverse County looks the way it does

Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Traverse County 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 64%, above 73% of counties. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 83% of households in Traverse County own their home, above 90% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 94% of adults in Traverse County have completed high school, above 83% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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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.