Dawson County leans heavily Republican by roughly 36 points: about 32% of voters vote Democratic and 68% Republican.
About 59% of adults in Dawson County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Dawson County, ~19% vote Democratic, ~40% Republican, and ~41% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Dawson County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Dawson County is the least Republican-leaning.
Dawson County runs about 15 points more Republican than Nebraska as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Dawson County. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+72) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+19), a spread of about 53 points.
Why Dawson 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 Dawson County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 72% of households in Dawson County are family households, about 5 points above the U.S. average of 67%. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Dawson County sits in the bottom quarter (about 17%, below 76% of counties).
High-school completion, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine low high-school-completion share and a heavily developed built environment tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Dawson County, NE does.
Why turnout in Dawson County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Dawson County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 34% of households in Dawson County rent, above 84% of counties. Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout, and about 6% of homes in Dawson County have more than one occupant per room, above 95% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Gosper County, NE R+72
- Frontier County, NE R+74
- Phelps County, NE R+58
- Furnas County, NE R+70
- Custer County, NE R+68
- Buffalo County, NE R+36
- Kearney County, NE R+59
- Lincoln County, NE R+46
- Harlan County, NE R+69
- Sherman County, NE R+64
Counties with Similar Populations
- Bell County, KY R+62
- Fairfax City, VA D+25
- Shelby County, TX R+54
- Jerome County, ID R+48
- Hood River County, OR D+24
- Blaine County, ID D+21
- Lincoln County, KY R+64
- Abbeville County, SC R+39
- George County, MS R+78
- Itawamba County, MS R+76
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.