Waseca County leans heavily Republican by roughly 32 points: about 34% of voters vote Democratic and 66% Republican.
About 93% of adults in Waseca County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Waseca County, ~32% vote Democratic, ~61% Republican, and ~7% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Waseca County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Waseca County leans more Republican than 8 of 11 neighbors.
Waseca County runs about 36 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Waseca County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Waseca County. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+54) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+27), a spread of about 27 points.
Why Waseca 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 Waseca County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Waseca County votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Waseca County runs about 36 points more Republican.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Waseca County, MN sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Waseca County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Waseca 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 65%, above 78% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 94% of adults in Waseca County have completed high school, above 81% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Steele County, MN R+22
- Blue Earth County, MN R+6
- Le Sueur County, MN R+32
- Rice County, MN Even
- Nicollet County, MN R+9
- Freeborn County, MN R+22
- Faribault County, MN R+38
- Dodge County, MN R+31
- Mower County, MN R+13
- Scott County, MN R+5
Counties with Similar Populations
- Perry County, MO R+62
- Humphreys County, TN R+60
- McIntosh County, OK R+55
- Inyo County, CA R+4
- Green Lake County, WI R+34
- Greene County, GA R+14
- Adair County, KY R+62
- Pike County, GA R+70
- Butler County, AL R+13
- Ashley County, AR R+46
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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.