Bent County leans Republican by roughly 30 points: about 35% of voters vote Democratic and 65% Republican.
About 59% of adults in Bent County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Bent County, ~21% vote Democratic, ~38% Republican, and ~41% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Bent County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Bent County leans more Republican than 1 of 4 neighbors.
Bent County runs about 40 points more Republican than Colorado as a whole. Colorado leans Democratic overall, while Bent County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Bent County. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+59) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+11), a spread of about 48 points.
Why Bent 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 Bent County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Bent County votes against the grain of Colorado. Colorado leans Democratic overall, while Bent County runs about 40 points more Republican. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Bent County sits in the bottom quarter (about 15%, below 86% of counties).
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with low colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Bent County, CO 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 Bent County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Bent County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 45%, about 18 points below the Colorado average of 63%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 38% of households in Bent County rent, above 91% of counties. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 83% of adults in Bent County have completed high school, below 89% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Otero County, CO R+23
- Prowers County, CO R+38
- Kiowa County, CO R+72
- Crowley County, CO R+47
- Baca County, CO R+69
- Cheyenne County, CO R+72
- Hamilton County, KS R+71
- Lincoln County, CO R+61
- Greeley County, KS R+68
- Pueblo County, CO Even
Counties with Similar Populations
- Gray County, KS R+73
- Lincoln County, MN R+49
- Putnam County, IL R+28
- Audubon County, IA R+46
- Lincoln County, CO R+61
- Tripp County, SD R+58
- McCook County, SD R+54
- Cameron Parish, LA R+86
- Dixon County, NE R+56
- Alfalfa County, OK R+76
All Local Stats
Home Services
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.