Dolores County leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 84% of adults in Dolores County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Dolores County, ~23% vote Democratic, ~61% Republican, and ~16% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Dolores County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Dolores County is the most Republican-leaning.
Dolores County runs about 56 points more Republican than Colorado as a whole. Colorado leans Democratic overall, while Dolores County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Dolores 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 Dolores County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dolores County votes against the grain of Colorado. Colorado leans Democratic overall, while Dolores County runs about 56 points more Republican. Rural areas vote Republican, and Dolores County sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 5%, below 94% of counties). A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 75% of households in Dolores County are family households, above 94% of counties.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Dolores County, CO sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Dolores County looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 83% of households in Dolores County own their home, about 8 points above the Colorado average of 75%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Dolores County have completed high school, above 95% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Montezuma County, CO R+24
- San Juan County, UT R+19
- San Miguel County, CO D+35
- San Juan County, CO D+29
- Ouray County, CO D+13
- La Plata County, CO D+13
- Montrose County, CO R+30
- Grand County, UT R+2
- San Juan County, NM R+26
- Hinsdale County, CO R+6
Counties with Similar Populations
- Sanborn County, SD R+59
- Griggs County, ND R+52
- Eddy County, ND R+46
- Webster County, GA R+16
- Grant County, ND R+71
- Miner County, SD R+52
- Cimarron County, OK R+68
- Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, AK Even
- Garfield County, WA R+58
- Renville County, ND R+65
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Colorado 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.