Chelan County leans slightly Republican by roughly 12 points: about 44% of voters vote Democratic and 56% Republican.
About 68% of adults in Chelan County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Chelan County, ~30% vote Democratic, ~38% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Chelan County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Chelan County leans more Republican than 1 of 3 neighbors.
Chelan County runs about 31 points more Republican than Washington as a whole. Washington leans Democratic overall, while Chelan County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Chelan County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+39) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+6), a spread of about 33 points.
Why Chelan 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 Chelan County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Chelan County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 53%, modestly above the Washington average of 41%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Chelan County runs against the grain of Washington, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Chelan County, WA sits in the top tenth 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 Chelan County looks the way it does
Turnout in Chelan 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
- Douglas County, WA R+25
- Kittitas County, WA R+8
- Grant County, WA R+34
- Yakima County, WA R+6
- Okanogan County, WA R+16
- Adams County, WA R+31
- King County, WA D+45
- Snohomish County, WA D+10
- Lincoln County, WA R+54
- Pierce County, WA D+12
Counties with Similar Populations
- Clinton County, MI R+12
- Lynchburg City, VA D+10
- Wilson County, NC D+11
- Bedford County, VA R+43
- Sullivan County, NY R+11
- Oconee County, SC R+54
- Hancock County, IN R+36
- Clinton County, NY R+5
- Putnam County, TN R+43
- James City County, VA D+8
All Local Stats
Home Services
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Washington 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.