Williston is a Republican stronghold. About 21% of voters here vote Democratic and 79% Republican.
About 65% of adults in Williston typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Williston, ~14% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Williston compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Williston is the least Republican-leaning.
Williston runs about 22 points more Republican than North Dakota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Williston. The north side is the most Republican-leaning (R+73) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+37), a spread of about 37 points.
Why Williston 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 Williston, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Williston votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 65%, far above the North Dakota average of 12%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Williston, ND sits in the top quarter 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 Williston looks the way it does
Turnout in Williston sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Springbrook, ND R+78
- Trenton, ND R+72
- Epping, ND R+78
- Buford, ND R+73
- Wheelock, ND R+78
- Alexander, ND R+82
- Charbonneau, ND R+83
- Ray, ND R+79
- Cartwright, ND R+83
- Alamo, ND R+77
Cities with Similar Populations
- Melrose Park, IL D+22
- Troy, OH R+33
- Sun Valley, CA D+17
- Lockport, IL R+12
- Bethel Park, PA D+5
- Burlington, NJ D+36
- Roseburg, OR R+20
- North Olmsted, OH Even
- Fair Oaks, VA D+40
- Pasadena, MD R+12
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from North Dakota 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.