Columbus leans slightly Republican by roughly 12 points: about 44% of voters vote Democratic and 56% Republican.
About 85% of adults in Columbus typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Columbus, ~37% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~15% 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 18 of 62 neighbors.
Columbus runs about 12 points more Republican than Wisconsin as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Columbus. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+36) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+8), a spread of about 28 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.
Columbus votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 29%, about 8 points below the U.S. average of 36%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Columbus, WI sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Columbus looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Columbus is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Columbus have completed high school, above 83% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- East Bristol, WI R+14
- Danville, WI R+37
- Fall River, WI R+22
- Astico, WI R+37
- York Center, WI R+6
- Reeseville, WI R+44
- Doylestown, WI R+27
- Portland, WI R+39
- North Bristol, WI D+3
- Leipsig, WI R+37
Cities with Similar Populations
- Monte Vista, CO R+19
- Morrison, IL R+31
- Fayetteville, WV R+47
- Summersville, WV R+57
- White Bluff, TN R+60
- Florence, MT R+41
- Perkinston, MS R+79
- Aynor, SC R+62
- Elberta, AL R+75
- Bloomingburg, NY R+36
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Wisconsin Elections Commission, 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.