Clay County is a Republican stronghold. About 18% of voters here vote Democratic and 82% Republican.
About 70% of adults in Clay County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Clay County, ~13% vote Democratic, ~58% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Clay County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Clay County leans more Republican than 9 of 10 neighbors.
Clay County runs about 44 points more Republican than Nebraska as a whole.
Why Clay 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 Clay County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 7% of residents in Clay County live in densely developed areas, about 10 points below the Nebraska average of 17%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 71% of households in Clay County are family households, above 84% of counties.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Clay County, NE sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Clay County looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 82% of households in Clay County own their home, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Adams County, NE R+42
- Hamilton County, NE R+61
- Fillmore County, NE R+57
- Nuckolls County, NE R+60
- York County, NE R+52
- Hall County, NE R+26
- Thayer County, NE R+61
- Webster County, NE R+69
- Merrick County, NE R+60
- Polk County, NE R+62
Counties with Similar Populations
- Shelby County, MO R+65
- Reynolds County, MO R+67
- Menifee County, KY R+64
- Presidio County, TX D+4
- Grant County, MN R+36
- Iron County, WI R+27
- Pendleton County, WV R+61
- Gentry County, MO R+63
- Hamlin County, SD R+64
- Van Buren County, TN R+71
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Nebraska 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.