Fort Walton Beach leans Republican by roughly 26 points: about 37% of voters vote Democratic and 63% Republican.
About 68% of adults in Fort Walton Beach typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Fort Walton Beach, ~25% vote Democratic, ~43% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Fort Walton Beach compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Fort Walton Beach leans more Republican than 1 of 17 neighbors.
Fort Walton Beach runs about 14 points more Republican than Florida as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Fort Walton Beach. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+37) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+16), a spread of about 21 points.
Why Fort Walton Beach 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 Fort Walton Beach, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Fort Walton Beach votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 81%, well above the Florida average of 57%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Fort Walton Beach, FL sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Fort Walton Beach looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Fort Walton Beach is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 60%, below 55% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Cinco Bayou, FL R+32
- Ocean City, FL R+29
- Wright, FL R+18
- Shalimar, FL R+30
- Lake Lorraine, FL R+29
- Eglin Afb, FL R+28
- Hurlburt Field, FL R+44
- Mary Esther, FL R+29
- Destin, FL R+40
- Valparaiso, FL R+41
Cities with Similar Populations
- Webster Groves, MO D+38
- Conover, NC R+39
- Commerce Township, MI R+14
- Zachary, LA Even
- King George, VA R+23
- Northfield, MN D+24
- Kaukauna, WI R+24
- Antioch, IL R+8
- Trotwood, OH D+64
- Plainview, TX R+40
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Florida Division 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.