81235 leans slightly Republican by roughly 6 points: about 47% of voters vote Democratic and 53% Republican.
About 78% of adults in 81235 typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 81235, ~36% vote Democratic, ~41% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 81235 compares
81235 runs about 17 points more Republican than Colorado as a whole. Colorado leans Democratic overall, while 81235 is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why 81235 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 81235, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. Fewer than 1% of residents in 81235 live in densely developed areas, about 35 points below the Colorado average of 35%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 76% of households in 81235 are family households, above 83% of zip codes. 81235 runs against the grain of Colorado, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; 81235, CO sits in the top 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 81235 looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. 81235 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 72%, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and more than 99% of adults in 81235 have completed high school, in the top fraction 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 Colorado 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.