Defiance leans heavily Republican by roughly 36 points: about 32% of voters vote Democratic and 68% Republican.
About 76% of adults in Defiance typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Defiance, ~24% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~24% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Defiance compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Defiance is the least Republican-leaning.
Defiance runs about 24 points more Republican than Ohio as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Defiance. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+50) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+25), a spread of about 25 points.
Why Defiance 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 Defiance, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Defiance votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 44%, modestly above the Ohio average of 34%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Defiance, OH sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Defiance looks the way it does
Turnout in Defiance sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Brunersburg, OH R+52
- Ayersville, OH R+53
- The Bend, OH R+51
- Jewell, OH R+53
- Junction, OH R+56
- Standley, OH R+57
- Rice, OH R+65
- Florida, OH R+60
- Evansport, OH R+55
- Ney, OH R+62
Cities with Similar Populations
- Wilmington, MA Even
- Dayton, TX R+54
- Natchitoches, LA D+10
- Scotch Plains, NJ D+23
- Harrison, AR R+53
- West Memphis, AR D+44
- Piqua, OH R+43
- Abingdon, VA R+41
- Canton, MA D+26
- Manvel, TX D+5
All Local Stats
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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.