Adams County leans heavily Republican by roughly 30 points: about 35% of voters vote Democratic and 65% Republican.
About 53% of adults in Adams County typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Adams County, ~19% vote Democratic, ~34% Republican, and ~47% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Adams County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Adams County leans more Republican than 2 of 3 neighbors.
Adams County runs about 49 points more Republican than Washington as a whole. Washington leans Democratic overall, while Adams County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Adams County. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+66) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+23), a spread of about 43 points.
Why Adams County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Adams County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Adams County votes against the grain of Washington. Washington leans Democratic overall, while Adams County runs about 49 points more Republican. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Adams County sits in the bottom quarter (about 15%, below 89% of counties). A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 78% of households in Adams County are family households, above 98% of counties.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with low colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Adams County, WA 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 Adams County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Adams County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The uninsured rate here is about 25%, about 16 points above the Washington average of 9%. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 64% of adults in Adams County have completed high school, in the bottom fraction of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Grant County, WA R+34
- Franklin County, WA R+16
- Benton County, WA R+21
- Walla Walla County, WA R+7
- Columbia County, WA R+51
- Lincoln County, WA R+54
- Douglas County, WA R+25
- Yakima County, WA R+6
- Umatilla County, OR R+34
- Garfield County, WA R+58
Counties with Similar Populations
- Meriwether County, GA R+22
- Hutchinson County, TX R+60
- Dukes County, MA D+41
- Barnwell County, SC R+13
- Allen County, KY R+64
- Jones County, IA R+27
- Adams County, WI R+26
- Buchanan County, IA R+36
- Kewaunee County, WI R+39
- Colorado County, TX R+42
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.