Defiance County leans heavily Republican by roughly 44 points: about 28% of voters vote Democratic and 72% Republican.
About 78% of adults in Defiance County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Defiance County, ~22% vote Democratic, ~56% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Defiance County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Defiance County leans more Republican than 7 of 17 neighbors.
Defiance County runs about 32 points more Republican than Ohio as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Defiance County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+62) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+31), a spread of about 32 points.
Why Defiance 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 Defiance County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 84% of residents in Defiance County drive to work alone, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Renting and voter turnout
Places with homeowner-heavy households tend to turn out at a higher rate; Defiance County, OH sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Defiance County looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 80% of households in Defiance County own their home, about 5 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Paulding County, OH R+57
- Williams County, OH R+50
- Henry County, OH R+53
- Putnam County, OH R+66
- Fulton County, OH R+45
- Van Wert County, OH R+56
- DeKalb County, IN R+49
- Allen County, IN R+5
- Steuben County, IN R+45
- Allen County, OH R+32
Counties with Similar Populations
- Brown County, SD R+35
- Susquehanna County, PA R+45
- Guernsey County, OH R+50
- Dallas County, AL D+38
- Woodford County, IL R+40
- Finney County, KS R+25
- Brown County, TX R+58
- Pontotoc County, OK R+44
- Scott County, MO R+43
- Graham County, AZ R+39
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Ohio 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.