Chesapeake leans Republican by roughly 22 points: about 39% of voters vote Democratic and 61% Republican.
About 45% of adults in Chesapeake typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Chesapeake, ~18% vote Democratic, ~27% Republican, and ~55% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Chesapeake compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Chesapeake leans more Republican than 6 of 152 neighbors.
Chesapeake runs about 19 points more Democratic than West Virginia as a whole.
Why Chesapeake 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 Chesapeake, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Chesapeake votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 72%, far above the West Virginia average of 12%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Chesapeake sits in the bottom quarter (about 10%, below 92% of cities).
Developed land, local retail density, and voter turnout
Places that combine a heavily developed built environment and sparse local retail within a mile tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Chesapeake, WV does.
Why turnout in Chesapeake looks the way it does
Turnout in Chesapeake 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
- Belle, WV R+40
- Winifrede, WV R+56
- Marmet, WV R+43
- Lower Belle, WV R+54
- Cabin Creek, WV R+32
- Hernshaw, WV R+59
- Coalburg, WV R+56
- East Bank, WV R+49
- Drybranch, WV R+57
Cities with Similar Populations
- Elliottsburg, PA R+61
- Dorset, MN R+29
- Geronimo, TX R+62
- Gwinner, ND R+53
- Cottage City, MD D+68
- Hopedale, OH R+57
- Oconomowoc Lake, WI R+26
- Glorieta, NM D+37
- Hunters Creek, MI R+36
- New Amsterdam, WI R+16
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from West Virginia 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.