Carter County is a Republican stronghold. About 19% of voters here vote Democratic and 81% Republican.
About 66% of adults in Carter County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Carter County, ~12% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~34% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Carter County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Carter County leans more Republican than 16 of 21 neighbors.
Carter County runs about 31 points more Republican than Tennessee as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Carter County. The south side is the most Republican-leaning (R+72) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+52), a spread of about 20 points.
Why Carter 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 Carter County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 82% of residents in Carter County drive to work alone, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Park access and Democratic lean
Places with heavy park coverage tend to lean Democratic; Carter County, TN sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Carter County looks the way it does
Turnout in Carter County 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 Counties
- Washington County, TN R+37
- Unicoi County, TN R+57
- Sullivan County, TN R+50
- Bristol City, VA R+32
- Johnson County, TN R+67
- Avery County, NC R+52
- Mitchell County, NC R+56
- Yancey County, NC R+43
- Washington County, VA R+52
- Watauga County, NC D+6
Counties with Similar Populations
- Hardin County, TX R+68
- Cherokee County, SC R+42
- Marion County, WV R+37
- Pearl River County, MS R+60
- Chisago County, MN R+29
- Taney County, MO R+50
- Hawkins County, TN R+66
- Waller County, TX R+20
- Lafayette County, MS R+16
- Eagle County, CO D+14
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Tennessee Secretary of State, Division 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.