Traverse leans Republican by roughly 24 points: about 38% of voters vote Democratic and 62% Republican.
About 59% of adults in Traverse typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Traverse, ~22% vote Democratic, ~37% Republican, and ~41% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Traverse compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Traverse leans more Republican than 6 of 45 neighbors.
Traverse runs about 29 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Traverse is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Traverse. The south side is the most split-leaning (R+32) and the southeast side is the least split-leaning (R+3), a spread of about 29 points.
Why Traverse 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 Traverse, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Traverse votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Traverse runs about 29 points more Republican.
Never-married share, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine a never-married-heavy adult population and a heavily developed built environment tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Traverse, MN does.
Why turnout in Traverse looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 29% of households in Traverse rent, above 83% of cities. Strong routine healthcare access lines up with higher turnout, and Traverse sits in the top quarter on routine-care measures. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- St. Peter, MN Even
- Ottawa, MN R+30
- Oshawa, MN R+39
- Kasota, MN R+26
- Le Sueur, MN R+28
- Rush River, MN R+45
- Nicollet, MN R+42
- Cleveland, MN R+36
- Marysburg, MN R+30
- North Mankato, MN R+2
Cities with Similar Populations
- New Grand Chain, IL R+62
- Silver Creek, WI R+44
- Seven Springs, MS R+41
- Binford, ND R+53
- Montezuma, NY R+39
- Valeda, KS R+63
- East Deering, NH R+12
- Verdon, NE R+60
- Grandin, ND R+42
- Reagan, TX R+70
All Local Stats
Home Services
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.