Columbus leans slightly Republican by roughly 10 points: about 45% of voters vote Democratic and 55% Republican.
About 61% of adults in Columbus typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Columbus, ~27% vote Democratic, ~34% Republican, and ~39% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Columbus compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Columbus leans more Republican than 7 of 50 neighbors.
Columbus runs about 20 points more Democratic than Arkansas as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Columbus. The northwest side runs the most Democratic (D+8) and the west side runs the most Republican (R+16), a spread of about 24 points.
Why Columbus 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 Columbus, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 5% of residents in Columbus live in densely developed areas, about 8 points below the Arkansas average of 13%. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Columbus sits in the bottom quarter (about 8%, below 95% of cities).
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Columbus, AR sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Columbus looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Columbus is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 20% of adults in Columbus report food insecurity, above 81% of cities. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 87% of adults in Columbus have completed high school, below 73% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Tollette, AR D+8
- Saratoga, AR R+8
- Washington, AR R+24
- Ozan, AR R+34
- McNab, AR R+17
- Mineral Springs, AR D+14
- Buck Range, AR R+5
- Fulton, AR R+22
- Oakhaven, AR R+39
Cities with Similar Populations
- Eberton, DE D+11
- Sarcillo, CO R+33
- Hardwood, LA R+58
- Point Isabel, IN R+62
- Sapello, NM D+16
- Metcalf, IL R+64
- High Shoals, GA R+69
- Wirt, OK R+75
- Sylvatus, VA R+66
- Havillah, WA R+45
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Arkansas 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.