Yellow Medicine County leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 73% of adults in Yellow Medicine County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Yellow Medicine County, ~20% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~26% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Yellow Medicine County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Yellow Medicine County leans more Republican than 5 of 9 neighbors.
Yellow Medicine County runs about 51 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Yellow Medicine County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Yellow Medicine County. The south side is the most Republican-leaning (R+59) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+32), a spread of about 27 points.
Why Yellow Medicine 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 Yellow Medicine County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Yellow Medicine County votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Yellow Medicine County runs about 51 points more Republican.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Yellow Medicine 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 Yellow Medicine County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Yellow Medicine 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 75% of counties. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 84% of households in Yellow Medicine County own their home, above 95% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Chippewa County, MN R+36
- Lyon County, MN R+28
- Lac qui Parle County, MN R+38
- Lincoln County, MN R+49
- Redwood County, MN R+47
- Swift County, MN R+35
- Deuel County, SD R+54
- Renville County, MN R+49
- Kandiyohi County, MN R+29
- Grant County, SD R+52
Counties with Similar Populations
- Benewah County, ID R+60
- McCormick County, SC R+5
- Iron County, MO R+60
- Brewster County, TX R+12
- Brown County, KS R+42
- Greenlee County, AZ R+45
- Chattahoochee County, GA R+14
- Wilkes County, GA R+13
- Howard County, IA R+35
- Cheyenne County, NE R+58
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.