Bedford leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Bedford typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Bedford, ~19% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Bedford compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Bedford leans more Republican than 8 of 78 neighbors.
Bedford runs about 28 points more Republican than Indiana as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Bedford. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+56) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+39), a spread of about 16 points.
Why Bedford leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Bedford, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Bedford votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 44%, well above the Indiana average of 25%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Bedford, IN sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Bedford looks the way it does
Turnout in Bedford sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- East Oolitic, IN R+55
- Oolitic, IN R+47
- Fort Ritner, IN R+54
- Shawswick, IN R+56
- Avoca, IN R+57
- Crawford, IN R+61
- Fayetteville, IN R+57
- Yockey, IN R+55
Cities with Similar Populations
- Santa Fe, TX R+56
- Selma, AL D+53
- Allston, MA D+67
- Chagrin Falls, OH R+5
- Boaz, AL R+71
- Carney, MD D+14
- Willmar, MN R+15
- Athens, TN R+53
- Dover, NJ D+11
- Joshua, TX R+59
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Indiana 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.