Cherokee County is a Republican stronghold. About 22% of voters here vote Democratic and 78% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Cherokee County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Cherokee County, ~15% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Cherokee County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Cherokee County leans more Republican than 7 of 10 neighbors.
Cherokee County runs about 40 points more Republican than Kansas as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Cherokee County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+68) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+51), a spread of about 17 points.
Why Cherokee 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 Cherokee County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 84% of residents in Cherokee County drive to work alone, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Local retail density and voter turnout
Places with dense local retail within a mile tend to turn out at a higher rate; Cherokee County, KS sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Nearby retail does not change how people vote; it reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Cherokee County looks the way it does
Turnout in Cherokee County sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Jasper County, MO R+40
- Ottawa County, OK R+53
- Crawford County, KS R+28
- Newton County, MO R+54
- Labette County, KS R+42
- Barton County, MO R+65
- Craig County, OK R+53
- McDonald County, MO R+65
- Delaware County, OK R+58
- Neosho County, KS R+48
Counties with Similar Populations
- Benton County, MO R+60
- Polk County, NC R+31
- Marengo County, AL D+3
- Los Alamos County, NM D+27
- Freestone County, TX R+56
- Hart County, KY R+61
- Chaffee County, CO D+6
- Jackson County, IA R+35
- Spencer County, KY R+56
- Langlade County, WI R+35
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kansas 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.