98326 leans Republican by roughly 16 points: about 42% of voters vote Democratic and 58% Republican.
About 31% of adults in 98326 typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 98326, ~13% vote Democratic, ~18% Republican, and ~69% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 98326 compares
98326 sits in a sparsely populated area with few comparable zip codes nearby.
98326 runs about 33 points more Republican than Washington as a whole. Washington leans Democratic overall, while 98326 is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 98326. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+34) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+15), a spread of about 19 points.
Why 98326 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 98326, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
98326 votes against the grain of Washington. Washington leans Democratic overall, while 98326 runs about 33 points more Republican. Rural areas vote Republican, and 98326 sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 1%, below 98% of zip codes).
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; 98326, WA sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in 98326 looks the way it does
High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, mostly because the housing stress common in those areas makes voting harder. 98326 sits in the top 15% nationally on a violent-crime measure. See CrimeGrade for more details. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 37% of households in 98326 rent, above 84% 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 Washington 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.