23185 leans Democratic by roughly 20 points: about 60% of voters vote Democratic and 40% Republican.
About 81% of adults in 23185 typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 23185, ~49% vote Democratic, ~32% Republican, and ~19% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 23185 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 23185 leans more Democratic than 11 of 14 neighbors.
23185 runs about 15 points more Democratic than Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 23185. The west side runs the most Democratic (D+31) and the south side runs the most Republican (Even), a spread of about 31 points.
Why 23185 leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per zip code to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for 23185, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 49% of adults in 23185 hold a bachelor's degree, about 21 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 36% of adults in 23185 have never been married, above 82% of zip codes.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; 23185, VA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in 23185 looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. 23185 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 71%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Zip Codes
Zip Codes with Similar Populations
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Virginia Department of 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.