Cape Girardeau leans Republican by roughly 18 points: about 41% of voters vote Democratic and 59% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Cape Girardeau typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Cape Girardeau, ~26% vote Democratic, ~37% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Cape Girardeau compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Cape Girardeau leans more Republican than 6 of 81 neighbors.
Politically, Cape Girardeau sits close to the rest of Missouri.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Cape Girardeau. The southeast side runs the most Democratic (D+11) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+54), a spread of about 65 points.
Why Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Cape Girardeau votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 71%, far above the Missouri average of 22%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Cape Girardeau, MO sits in the top 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 Cape Girardeau looks the way it does
Turnout in Cape Girardeau sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- East Cape Girardeau, IL R+53
- McClure, IL R+53
- Blomeyer, MO R+55
- Gordonville, MO R+65
- Egypt Mills, MO R+62
- Scott City, MO R+59
- Jackson, MO R+51
- Oriole, MO R+64
- Dutchtown, MO R+64
- Kelso, MO R+69
Cities with Similar Populations
- Arlington, MA D+69
- Lake Oswego, OR D+45
- Tucker, GA D+36
- Lititz, PA R+16
- Brighton, MI R+16
- Kalispell, MT R+33
- Lakeside, CA R+23
- Mableton, GA D+46
- Springfield, VA D+28
- Jamesburg, NJ R+4
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Missouri 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.