71842 is a Republican stronghold. About 16% of voters here vote Democratic and 84% Republican.
About 48% of adults in 71842 typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 71842, ~8% vote Democratic, ~40% Republican, and ~52% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 71842 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 71842 leans more Republican than 3 of 7 neighbors.
71842 runs about 37 points more Republican than Arkansas as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 71842. The south side is the most Republican-leaning (R+74) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+63), a spread of about 10 points.
Why 71842 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 71842, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 12% of adults in 71842 hold a bachelor's degree, about 6 points below the Arkansas average of 18%.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with low colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a lower rate; 71842, AR sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in 71842 looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. 71842 is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 48%, about 12 points below the U.S. average of 60%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 24% of adults in 71842 report food insecurity, above 87% of zip codes. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 77% of adults in 71842 have completed high school, below 94% of zip codes. 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 Arkansas 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.