Exeter is a Republican stronghold. About 19% of voters here vote Democratic and 81% Republican.
About 58% of adults in Exeter typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Exeter, ~11% vote Democratic, ~47% Republican, and ~42% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Exeter compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Exeter leans more Republican than 18 of 114 neighbors.
Exeter runs about 68 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Exeter is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Exeter 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 Exeter, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 4% of residents in Exeter live in densely developed areas, about 22 points below the Virginia average of 26%. Exeter runs against the grain of Virginia, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with low colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Exeter, VA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Exeter looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Exeter is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 76% of adults in Exeter have completed high school, below 95% of cities. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Exeter sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Appalachia, VA R+62
- Big Stone Gap, VA R+44
- Keokee, VA R+68
- Oreton, VA R+63
- Jasper, VA R+65
Cities with Similar Populations
- Zanoni, MO R+67
- Luckett, TN R+69
- Vincent, TX R+88
- Sulphur Lick, KY R+78
- North Creek, OH R+73
- Dublin Mills, PA R+75
- Graves, SC R+59
- Mederville, IA R+46
- Elmdale, MN R+74
- Green Lake, ME R+14
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Virginia 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.