Chaffee County leans slightly Democratic by roughly 6 points: about 53% of voters vote Democratic and 47% Republican.
About 86% of adults in Chaffee County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Chaffee County, ~46% vote Democratic, ~40% Republican, and ~14% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Chaffee County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Chaffee County leans more Democratic than 1 of 3 neighbors.
Chaffee County runs about 5 points more Republican than Colorado as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Chaffee County. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+20) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+15), a spread of about 34 points.
Why Chaffee 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 Chaffee County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 46% of adults in Chaffee County hold a bachelor's degree, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Chaffee County, CO sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Chaffee County looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 94% of adults in Chaffee County have completed high school, above 86% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Lake County, CO D+25
- Gunnison County, CO D+31
- Park County, CO R+9
- Fremont County, CO R+25
- Saguache County, CO D+5
- Custer County, CO R+33
- Teller County, CO R+23
- Pitkin County, CO D+40
- Summit County, CO D+23
- Eagle County, CO D+14
Counties with Similar Populations
- Jackson County, IA R+35
- Spencer County, KY R+56
- Langlade County, WI R+35
- Adair County, OK R+54
- Fayette County, IA R+30
- Freestone County, TX R+56
- Macon County, AL D+57
- Los Alamos County, NM D+27
- East Feliciana Parish, LA R+24
- Wayne County, KY R+65
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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.