Douglas County leans Democratic by roughly 16 points: about 58% of voters vote Democratic and 42% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Douglas County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Douglas County, ~40% vote Democratic, ~29% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Douglas County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Douglas County is the most Democratic-leaning.
Douglas County runs about 37 points more Democratic than Nebraska as a whole. Nebraska leans Republican overall, while Douglas County is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Douglas County. The northeast side runs the most Democratic (D+52) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+12), a spread of about 63 points.
Why Douglas 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 Douglas County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 93% of residents in Douglas County live in densely developed areas, about 57 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Douglas County sits in the top quarter (about 42%, above 93% of counties). Douglas County runs against the grain of Nebraska, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Douglas County, NE sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Douglas County looks the way it does
Turnout in Douglas County 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 Counties
- Sarpy County, NE R+10
- Pottawattamie County, IA R+18
- Washington County, NE R+42
- Cass County, NE R+42
- Mills County, IA R+33
- Saunders County, NE R+46
- Dodge County, NE R+31
- Harrison County, IA R+42
- Otoe County, NE R+39
- Fremont County, IA R+47
Counties with Similar Populations
- Baltimore City, MD D+72
- Jefferson County, CO D+18
- Anne Arundel County, MD D+17
- Bristol County, MA Even
- Delaware County, PA D+27
- Union County, NJ D+26
- New Castle County, DE D+33
- Washington County, OR D+32
- Brevard County, FL R+19
- Pasco County, FL R+24
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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.