Ashe County leans heavily Republican by roughly 48 points: about 26% of voters vote Democratic and 74% Republican.
About 80% of adults in Ashe County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Ashe County, ~21% vote Democratic, ~59% Republican, and ~20% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Ashe County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Ashe County leans more Republican than 5 of 20 neighbors.
Ashe County runs about 44 points more Republican than North Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Ashe County. The north side is the most Republican-leaning (R+58) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+31), a spread of about 28 points.
Why Ashe 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 Ashe County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. Ashe County sits in the bottom quarter on density and about 91% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 24 points above the North Carolina average of 66%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 69% of households in Ashe County are family households, above 76% of counties.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Ashe County, NC sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Ashe County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Ashe County 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 64%, above 71% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Watauga County, NC D+6
- Johnson County, TN R+67
- Alleghany County, NC R+58
- Wilkes County, NC R+57
- Grayson County, VA R+59
- Smyth County, VA R+57
- Washington County, VA R+52
- Avery County, NC R+52
- Galax City, VA R+38
- Caldwell County, NC R+47
Counties with Similar Populations
- Lewis County, NY R+48
- Cass County, NE R+42
- Carter County, KY R+61
- Oceana County, MI R+28
- Geneva County, AL R+74
- Marlboro County, SC D+9
- Wasco County, OR R+14
- Decatur County, IN R+54
- Clay County, IN R+52
- Mille Lacs County, MN R+42
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from North Carolina State Board of 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.