79742 is a Republican stronghold. About 13% of voters here vote Democratic and 87% Republican.
About 48% of adults in 79742 typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 79742, ~6% vote Democratic, ~42% Republican, and ~52% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 79742 compares
79742 runs about 60 points more Republican than Texas as a whole.
Why 79742 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 79742, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 5% of residents in 79742 live in densely developed areas, about 30 points below the Texas average of 35%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; 79742, TX sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in 79742 looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. 79742 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 6 points below the Texas average of 54%. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 84% of adults in 79742 have completed high school, below 83% of zip codes. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and 79742 sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. 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 Texas Secretary of State, Elections Division, 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.