Dover leans Democratic by roughly 24 points: about 62% of voters vote Democratic and 38% Republican.
About 64% of adults in Dover typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Dover, ~40% vote Democratic, ~24% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Dover compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Dover is the most Democratic-leaning.
Dover runs about 10 points more Democratic than Delaware as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Dover. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+40) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+3), a spread of about 43 points.
Why Dover 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 Dover, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 61% of residents in Dover live in densely developed areas, about 25 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 38% of adults in Dover have never been married, above 92% of cities.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Dover, DE sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Dover looks the way it does
Turnout in Dover 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
- Wyoming, DE D+7
- Dover Afb, DE R+5
- Camden, DE Even
- Cheswold, DE D+12
- Little Creek, DE R+11
- Eberton, DE D+11
- Leipsic, DE R+14
- Woodside, DE R+17
- Magnolia, DE D+2
Cities with Similar Populations
- Salisbury, MD D+18
- East Orange, NJ D+80
- Huntersville, NC D+6
- Eastvale, CA Even
- Tamarac, FL D+27
- Camden, NJ D+64
- Kingsport, TN R+45
- Great Falls, MT R+20
- Ames, IA D+27
- Waterford, MI R+6
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Delaware Department of 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.